Edventure
by Lux Bravo
Summary: A normal summer's day takes a strange turn, as the kids are sucked into a strange fantasy world! There they learn that they are the Chosen Ones, and must save the world of Gaia from evil and darkness. But it won't be an easy job... Please Review! Thanks!
1. Chapter 1: The Edventure Begins!

Edventure

By Luke Mc Williams

Hi everyone! LucasBravvus97 here! So yeah, this is my first Fan-Fic ever, so go easy on me. Constructive criticism is accepted, but flames will not be tolerated. I've always wanted to do a Fan-Fic, especially about Ed, Edd 'n' Eddy. This is the result. I hope you like it!

Disclaimer: I do not own Ed, Edd 'n' Eddy/ Danny Antonucci, or any aspects of Square Enix used in this story. I do, however, own places, o.c.'s and creatures. Note o.c.'s: Zoe, Rebecca, Michael, Jennifer and Elle. Thoughts are in _Italics, _Magic spells and, for first mention, weapons in **Bold,** memories/flashbacks _italics_,important events underlined, really important events **bold/underlined**. So with that done, enjoy the story!

_Aeons ago, on another world, in a separate dimension from ours, a prophecy was foretold by Erica, a wise seer. She foresaw that in a time of need, far, far into the future, 17 Chosen Ones would come, from another world, to save a whole dimension. The centuries have passed, and the time for the prophecy to be fulfilled has come. Let the epic saga begin…_

Chapter One: The Edventure Begins!

It was a picturesque summers day in the Peach Creek cul-de-sac, with everyone making the best of the hot summer day. The sky was azure, with not a cloud in sight, the sun beat down radiantly on everyone in its path, birds and animals made their typical noises, and the trees, topped with rich, emerald leaves, swayed gently in the blessedly cool breeze.

Zoe Cardsworth and her cousin Rebecca, and their best friend Nazz, were playing on their BlackBerries, Zoe's brother Eddward, or Double-D, was studying the grass in the play-park for insects, Eddy had convinced Ed to help him with another scam, Kevin and Michael were trying to teach Rolf how to play American Football, Jimmy was watching Sarah beat Jonny up because he was annoying them, Jennifer was chasing her sister Elle, and the Kankers were walking down the lane, rubbing bandages on their arms.

"Gee," said Marie, "what the heck was that all about?"

"That guy said that he was a health officer, " said Lee, "but he sure didn't seem the picture."

"I know," replied Marie, "he was too shady and suspicious. But what I wanna know is why he wanted a blood sample…"

"Ah well," said May, "maybe he was a health officer."

"Lets go see what the others are doing," said Lee. And with that, the sisters ran down the lane.

ooo

"I'm glad its such a nice day," said Rebecca, to Nazz and Zoe. "We've been having really nice weather of late."

"Yeah…" said Zoe, sounding rather glum.

"What's wrong, Zoe?" asked Nazz. "You've been really sad today, for some reason."

"It's just that…well…I had a really bad nightmare last night. It was so terrifying, I thought I would die from the fright."

"Oh, you'll be okay," said Rebecca, contributing to the conversation. "I'm sure its just a one off."

"Its not," replied Zoe, "because I've having the same nightmare, every night, for the past month."

"Really?" asked Nazz, a tone of worry in her voice. "Can you tell us about it?"

"Yeah, tell us" said Rebecca, taking out a pen and notepad.

"Well, it's a bit fuzzy, but there's this woman with blonde, or really fair, hair, and she's always holding a trident. But the scary thing is that it always seems to be made of bones. Human bones. (Here Rebecca and Nazz exchanged worried glances.) She's standing in the palm of this huge…demon…thing, and she's casting green fire from the trident. The giant is stamping about, all over this city, and everyone's screaming. And the woman's laughing, but it's a cruel, sadistic laugh. And then everything goes fuzzy, and the dream ends." Rebecca and Nazz were silent.

"So what do you think now?" asked Zoe, with a passive face. ""I'm sure its not important," said Rebecca, forcing a smile. "Lets go enjoy the day."

ooo

"EUREKA!!" cried Edd at he top of his voice. "I've finally found it!"

The others, startled by Edd's loud voice, stopped what the were doing and walked over to Edd, who was crouching in the grass beneath a tall sycamore tree.

"What did you find, brother?" asked Zoe.

"Yeah, hurry up and tell us!" said Eddy in his naturally loud voice, a result of years of shouting.

"Well, Eddy," said Edd, " I have just found an extremely rare Arius butterfly. They are one of the most fastest butterfly species in the world, and are very, very hard to find."

Edd picked up an expensive looking camera, slung around his neck, and took a photo of the cobalt and scarlet specimen, which was perched on a white tulip.

Then the butterfly sped off into the distance, towards the fields, the pine forest, the mountains looming over the cul-de-sac…

Wait a second, thought Zoe, that cant be right. Mountains and forests? The city should be the-.

But Zoe's thoughts were shattered, as a deafening roar shook the cul-de-sac.

The expressions on everyone's faces were that of shock and terror, as, right before them, a huge, gaping chasm opened up in the earth.

The ground shook again, and everyone was shaken onto the ground.

"SARAH!!!!" screamed Jimmy, "HELP ME!!!"

Zoe looked over, and, to her horror, saw Jimmy dangling over the edge of the chasm! Only his arms, head and upper chest were visible, and he was desperately clawing the earth and mud, trying to halt his inevitable descent.

"I will help you, baby sister!" cried Ed heroically, as both he and Sarah ran over to Jimmy. They each grabbed an arm, and heaved Jimmy up.

"Oh, thank you, Sarah and Ed!" cried Jimmy, tears in his eyes. "You saved me! Thankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyou!!"

"That's okay, Jimmy!" cried Sarah happily, hugging him tightly.

"How the heck," said Kevin, sounding confused, "did an earthquake happen here?"

"First the earth will shake, and then darkness will cloak the sky," said Rolf in a small voice.

"Huh?" asked Eddy, "What's that supposed to mean?"

"It is an ancient prophecy from Rolf's home country, but it was not foretold on this earth."

"WHAT?" asked everyone this time. However, their question went unanswered, because suddenly the sky grew dark, and everything became pitch-black.

"Okay, I'm kind of scared," said Rebecca in a small voice.

Suddenly, the sky was illuminated, and everyone looked up in wonder. There, right before their eyes, was a huge ball of green fire, hurtling through the sky towards the cul-de-sac.

Everyone watched as the fireball crashed into Eddy's house, instantly setting it alight.

"MY HOUSE!!" shrieked Eddy.

"HAHAHA!" said a voice from above. "Die, you pathetic insects!!" All the kids looked up, and saw a terrifying sight.

ooo

A gigantic boat was floating in the now flame red and coal black sky. It had three tall masts, and on the lowest level of the ship were ten giant turbines, five on either side. There was a huge cannon at the front of the ship, and out of this came ball after ball of green fire, each one crashing into the cul-de-sac.

Then soldiers started jumping off the ship, onto the ground, and started firing their laser guns.

Eddy looked terrified, like the others. "WHAT THE-"

"DUCK!!!!" screamed Nazz, as a fire ball crashed down five metres away from them.

"Booyah!" cried a feminine voice from the ship." This is too easy, girls!"

The residents of the cul-de-sac looked up, and saw an even more puzzling sight. There, standing on the deck, were the Kanker sisters! Only these weren't the Kanker sisters. The one that looked like Lee wore a fire-red cloak that covered her body, and the right half of her face was a mixture of wires and steel, with a red eye in the top right half. Marie's doppelganger wore a sea-blue cloak, but this time her torso and right arm were made of steel. And for May's doppelganger, who wore a sun-yellow cloak, both her legs were fashioned of steel. Each of them carried a sword in their right hand, and a gun in their left. They were a terrifying sight, like three demons from the Underworld.

"Huh? Who are you?!" asked Jennifer.

"We," they all said at once, "are the X-Kankers!!"

"Fashioned from steel…" cried X-May,

"…and the DNA of the Kanker sisters…"cried X-Marie,

"…we have come…" cried X-Lee,

"…TO DESTROY YOUR INFERIOR LITTLE PLANET!!" they all cried in unison.

"If what their saying is true," said Edd, "then how could the get your DNA?"

"Uh-oh," said Lee nervously.

"I think we know," said Marie in the same tone. "Earlier today," she explained, "this really shady guy came to our trailer. He said he was an "Official Health Officer", or something like that, and that he wanted to do a few tests. He done, like, a **lot** of tests, and even took a blood sample! Then he got up, said thank you, and went out the front door. But then Lee went out after him, to ask him why he had to do all those tests. But he had vanished into thin air!"

"He must have given those freaks your DNA!" said Sarah.

"Oh," floated a voice down from the ship. "You mean me?"

A figure walked into view. He was dressed in a black suit, with a wide brimmed hat.

"YOU!!" shouted May. "You weirdo!!"

"Don't you DARE talk to Lady Faith in such an insolent manner!!" cried X-Lee.

All the kids looked confused."Lady…?" asked Michael.

"Perhaps I should show you my true form," said the man. And then he seemed to sink into the deck of the ship, in a cloud of shadows. And out of this shadow-cloud came another figure, but this was a very different person. It was a tall woman, who looked about twenty years old. She wore a long robe, a mixture of grey and black, that covered her feet. Her long hair was light blonde, and it fell down to her hips. But here eyes…her eyes were plain evil. The iris' were black, and her eyes had a cruel look about them. In her right hand was a three-pronged trident, about as tall as her. It was made of bones, and the tip glowed with unearthly dark-purple fire. She was beautiful, but in an evil way.

"I," said the woman, "am Faith, servant of Lord Shadeus, collector of souls for the Underworld."

"She is not making any sense," said Edd. "Shadeus? Underworld? What is she talking about?"

Zoe was staring hard at the woman, when suddenly she gasped.

"That woman!" she cried, "She's the woman from my dream!"

"Shall we destroy them, Lady Faith?" asked X-May.

"Yes," said Faith, "if you wish."

"FIRE!!!!!" cried Lee. A huge ball of fire was coming directly at the group!!

ooo

Zoe felt strange. A power was surging through her, a great sensation. She felt so alive, as if she could do anything! She stretched out her right hand towards the fire ball and said two single words.

"**Water Shield!**"

Suddenly, a huge wall of water appeared before the group, and it instantly doused the fire ball. Everyone looked surprised and shocked.

"How on earth did you do that?!!!" cried Elle in an incredulous voice.

"I…I d-don't k-know…" stammered Zoe. "I just felt r-really strong, and t-then…"

"Hmm…" said Faith with a frown. "This might make things a bit more difficult. I didn't expect them to unlock their powers so soon, and that the first one is Water is just plain inconvenient…"

"Yaavah-shla…" uttered Rolf in an awed voice. Then he regained himself.

"Quickly! We must escape from here! Into the woods!" Rolf ran into the woods, and everyone followed him.

But just before they ran into the woods, the three X-Kankers jumped before them.

"Oh no you don't!" cried X-Lee. "You'll never get past us alive!"

"Too true, sis," chuckled X-Marie. Then she turned towards the group.

"**Tidal Slash**!"

She ran towards the group, and swiped her sword a few foot away from them. Everyone was thrown back onto the ground, as a large wave of water bashed into them!

"This ends now…" muttered Rolf, rising to his feet. Then he charged the X-Kankers. "Be gone, witches!!!" He stretched out his right hand, and barked out two words.

"**Earthen Blast!**"

A huge pillar of rock rose out of the ground, and slammed into the clones, sending them flying far into the distance!

The cul-de-sac kids had won their first battle!

With the X-Kankers out of the way, the kids made a swift dash into the forest. They ran past bark-brown tree trunks, through piles of peridot-green leaves and over the aquamarine creek. Through thicket and thorn they ran onwards, trusting Rolf's sense of direction.

"Where are we going?!" cried Zoe.

"Towards a safe haven," came the reply from Rolf.

Suddenly they reached a clearing, and everyone stopped.

There, before them, was a portal, like one out of a sci-fi movie. It was a swirling vortex of blue and white, in the centre of the clearing.

"What is that?" said Jonny, to no one in particular.

"We must go through it!" said Rolf. "Quickly!" Then he ran towards the portal and disappeared.

"ROLF!" cried Ed.

"Who's next?" asked Eddy.

"I'll go," said Zoe.

"No!" cried Edd. "Zoe, you cant! It could be dangerous!"

"We've got no choice." Zoe gulped. "Wish me luck!" she said to the others.

Then, with a deep breath and a silent prayer, Zoe stepped through the portal and into darkness…


	2. Chapter 2: The Elements

Chapter Two: The Elements

AN: So I hope you all liked the first chapter. Tell me what you think in your reviews, so I can make the story better for the future. So I hope you all enjoy Chapter Two!

"Ugh," groaned Zoe. Her entire body ached with pain. She opened her eyes, and all she could see was blue.

She could see sand on the ground, fish swimming around, a huge, sprawling coral reef in the distance…Wait a second: she was underwater! She needed air!

She looked up, and saw the surface of the sea, far above. She kicked her feet and started to swim. She kept on making powerful strokes, but, in her heart, she knew she wouldn't make it.

She gasped, and sucked in a mouthful of…air. Wait a second, she could breathe? How was that possible? Zoe tried it again, and her lungs were filled with air. She tried a few, short rapid breathes, but with the same effect. Her face lit up. She could breathe underwater!

Not ready to leave just yet, she started to swim towards the coral reef. When she finally reached it, she realised just how vast it was.

It was like a submerged, natural, aquatic metropolis. The roads and streets were corridors of coral, vast expanses of plants were parks etc. Zoe started to swim throughout the reef, past schools of fish, a colony of dolphins…

Suddenly, one of the dolphins, a grey-blue Atlantic Bottle-Nose, swam up beside Zoe and gently nudged her arm with its snout.

_Hello,_ thought Zoe._ Hello to you too, My Lady,_ said a voice inside her head.

Zoe stared at the dolphin. _Did you say that? Yes, my Lady. Who are you? _asked Zoe. _I am Delphinor, a prince of dolphins. My family, stretching back into the mists of time, have waited for this moment, when the Chosen One of Water would finally appear. Follow me, my Lady. _Zoe grabbed on to Delphinor's dorsal fin and the young Dolphin Prince swam off, towards the heart of the reef.

There, in a wide clearing, were thousands of different sea creatures, all squashed together like sardines in a tin. When they saw Delphinor and Zoe approaching, they all bowed reverently.

Zoe noticed that, up ahead, was a strange, glowing, aquamarine light. The assembly parted, and a straight passage appeared before Zoe, leading to the light. She turned to Delphinor, who thought one more thing. _My Lady, you must embrace the light, and pledge yourself to it. It is your destiny as a Chosen One. But if you are ever in any trouble at sea, my Lady, summon me, with your voice and mind, and me and my brethren shall come to your aid. Goodbye, Lady Zoe. Goodbye, Delphinor, _thought Zoe. _I'm glad I met you._

Then Zoe started to walk towards the light. She stopped two feet before it, and slowly stretched out her hand. She touched it, and it grew brighter. Zoe could feel it's power radiating, as the light enveloped her entire being. In a flash of bright blue light, Zoe was gone…

ooo

Nazz gazed up at the treetops, high above her head. Sunlight filtered green through the leaves, as Nazz pressed onwards through the forest undergrowth. She didn't exactly know where she was going, because she was following a strange, subtle feeling inside her mind; whispering little voices telling her where to go.

Nazz saw a huge oak tree, with lots of sturdy branches, and so she started to climb up it, to see if she could find out just how big this natural labyrinth was. She started to climb, and soon reached the top of the tree. What she saw astounded her. The forest was absolutely **huge**!

It stretched off into the distance, as far as the human eye could see. All Nazz saw was the forest. There were no lakes, no towns, no mountains…Nothing at all, except the forest. She climbed back down, and started to walk deeper into the forest, towards it's heart.

Soon she reached a large, spacious meadow. Wild flowers and plants grew a-plenty, and in the centre was a large, aged oak tree. Before this tree was a strange, glowing light, the colour of leaves. Nazz wondered what it was. Suddenly, a cute red squirrel hopped out from behind a rose bush, and flashed a cheeky grin at Nazz.

It beckoned, with his head, towards the light, and so Nazz walked up to it. Suddenly, the light seemed to grow-it started to move, and enveloped Nazz! Before she had time to cry out, there was a flash of bright green light, and Nazz was gone…

ooo

Edd walked nervously down the eerie tunnel. Despite the darkness, a strange red glow helped him to find his way. Suddenly, a bright red light appeared before him, and he had to shield his eyes. He opened them, and his jaw dropped. He was in a huge cavern, filled with a huge lake of lava!

Edd looked up, and saw an opening high up. He noticed that the cave wall's sloped upwards, and so one possibility came into his mind. _This must be an _active _volcano!! I have to get out of here!!_

So Edd tried to run. But he had failed to notice that the lava was slowly rising, and that he was now standing on a rapidly shrinking island in the middle of the lava lake! Caused by panic, Edd remembered what his explorer uncle, Edmund, had told him about lava.

"_If you are ever caught in lava,_" he had said, "_then say your last prayers._" Edd was now officially having a panic attack, as he was now hyperventilating. The lava was now at Edd's level, and it submerged his feet. Edd waited for the agonizing pain, but it never came.

Instead, there was a warm, fuzzy feeling around his feet. Confused, Edd lifted his right foot out of the molten fire, and was astounded to see that his foot was not burnt to a cinder. His blue running shoes were still intact as well!

Edd thoughts wandered, as his mind pondered about how this phenomenon could have occurred. The brains of the Ed-boys, however, failed to notice that the lava was rising again.

He suddenly heard and ear-splitting shriek, and looked upwards to an awesome sight.

A scarlet red winged creature was circling the rim of the volcano. It was a large beast, about six metres in length, and it had two enormous blood-red wings on its back. Edd done a quick calculation, and estimated that the creature had a wing span of three metres each. A chain of small, but sharp, spikes ran along the outer edge of each of the wings, and two more chains ran down the creatures back. A long, lashing tail was situated at the creatures rear, and there was a longer spike on this than the others. The creature had powerful hind legs, and its arms were sturdy as well. Its hands and feet had only three fingers, or toes, and on each of these small limbs was a sharp, curved claw.

The creature roared again, and breathed out a jet of fire. Edd suddenly froze, as he realized what this creature was. "D-D-DRAGON!!!!!!" The dragon turned towards Edd, but this time breathed out a strange kind of vermillion light. The light absorbed Edd, and, in a flash of bright red light, he was gone…

ooo

"Jimmy!" cried a girl with fiery hair. "Jimmy! Where are you?"

The pre-teen was sobbing, as she wandered through the snowy wasteland. The artic winds mercilessly blew into poor Sarah, as she wrapped her arms around herself, a feeble attempt to keep warm. All she could see was snow-covered plains, stretching into the distance. The sky was hidden by a layer of murky clouds, and cold, cold snow fell from these clouds. The temperature was at least -100 degrees Celsius, and it kept growing colder and colder. Sarah, snivelling and sobbing, stumbled, and fell into the one foot thick layer of snow. Her almond-brown eyes were almost welded shut by the ice and snow, and Sarah, lying in the freezing-white stuff, waited for the end to come.

At the thought of dying here alone, without her friends, and, most importantly, _him_, Sarah heard a sing-song voice calling out to her.

"Wake up! Rise and shine!"

Sarah looked up, and saw a girl about the same age as her standing a few feet away.

The girl was slender, and she had straight, ice-blue hair, streaked with cloud-white strands, that fell to her waist. She had a pale white, sleeveless top on, with a cobalt-blue design running around the edges, and it was adorned with little crystal's that glinted like a white sun. Her skirt was long, as it fell to her bare feet, and there was a long slit running up either side. The skirt, too, was white and blue, and mini crystal's were etched in the fabric. But the strangest thing about this girl was that her skin was pale blue, like the colour of an icy lake.

Sarah gaped, taking in the girl's strange appearance. She looked into her face, taking in her slender facial features.

"Who are you?" Sarah whispered, looking into the girl's cerulean-blue eyes.

"Now's not the time for that!" came the cheerful reply. "Let…let me sleep…" moaned Sarah. "Uh-uh," said the girl. "You cant pass on now, silly! You wont be able to save the worlds!"

"What…?" asked Sarah. "Here," replied the girl, stretching out her hand, "take this. It will help you!" She opened her hand, and a stark-white light enveloped Sarah. She was side awake now! "Help!" she cried. "Goodbye," came the girls voice, though it sounded far away, " and good luck! I hope to meet you again soon!"Then, in a flash of bright white light, Sarah was gone…

ooo

"Help…" moaned a young lad, garbed in blue and white. "Sarah…help me…please…" Jimmy wandered onwards, through the endless desert, hoping to find help.

The sun seemed to take over the entire sky, and it radiant beams glared onto Jimmy. "Water…" he whispered. "Its too hot…I need water…" Jimmy stumbled on the sandy surface, losing his balance and falling to the ground with a soft thud.

"Must…have…water…"

He gasped between each word. He heard a faint rumbling sound, and, with much effort, lifted his head up to look. He saw a vast sandstorm, heading his way!

Too tired to fight, Jimmy lay there as he was dragged by the winds towards the centre of the sandstorm. Suddenly, Jimmy felt rejuvenated, as a bright orange light, situated at the sandstorms heart, absorbed his body. In a flash of bright orange light, Jimmy was gone…

ooo

"Do you know where we are, Plank?" asked a young boy to the wooden board he was carrying. Jonny was standing in a big, black expanse of darkness. He kept walking forward.

"Hello?" he called out. "Is anybody there?" At once, there was a large bang, and a cloud of shadow came out of nowhere, engulfing Jonny. In a flash of black, he was gone…

ooo

"This is, like, sooo freaky…" muttered an angry Rebecca. She was slowly walking down a hall of mirrors. She saw herself wherever she looked, and her voice seemed to be magnified whenever she spoke. "This place is so creepy, and these mirrors make me look fat…" she complained to herself.

She suddenly stopped. "Suck it up, Rebecca. You are much tougher than this." Abruptly, the mirrors all cracked, and shards of glass fell to the floor.

Rebecca just stood there, stunned. "What. The. Heck. Was. That!!?" She cried out.

Suddenly, a fuchsia light appeared out of nowhere, and started moving towards Rebecca. "What on earth is th-" She was cut off, as she was enveloped by the light. In a flash of bright pink light, Rebecca was gone…

ooo

"The son-of-a-shepherd wonders where he is," said Rolf. He was in some kind of valley, surrounded by tall, imposing mountains. "Ah, this must be the land of Earth. Rolf is prepared for the task that has fallen on him and his happy-go-lucky friends."

Rolf saw a purple light ahead, waiting for someone. Waiting for him. With no warning, Rolf ran towards the light, and embraced it. "Rolf embraces the element of Earth!" With a cry and a flash of bright, purple light, Rolf was gone from the Land of Earth…

ooo

"This is too weird, dude," said Kevin. He seemed to be on some kind of island in the sky, but he was surrounded by a thunderstorm. Thunder clapped some distance away, and Kevin prepared to see the lightning. The lighting came, striking Kevin straight on!

The sporty jock didn't feel any pain, however. Instead, a rejuvenating feeling of life and energy coursed through his body. "Oh, man," murmured Kevin contentedly, his eyes closed and a smile on his face."That felt so good…"

Another bolt hit him, this one much, much more powerful, and there was a flash of bright yellow light. Kevin was gone…

ooo

"Eddy! Double-D!" called out Ed, the lovable oaf. "Come out, come out wherever you are!" Ed wandered down the mine shaft, searching for his friends. The mine walls were laden with precious gems, and Ed silently marvelled at them.

He stopped. He saw a strange gray light glowing ahead. Curious, he walked towards it. Suddenly, the light grew and engulfed Ed. With a cry and a flash of gray light, Ed was gone…

ooo

Eddy was surrounded by bright light. That was all there was. Light. The force of the light was so strong that Eddy had to shield his eyes.

_Sunlight…Moonlight…Alllight…_

"Huh?!" cried Eddy. "Who said that?!"

_Sunlight…Moonlight…Alllight…_

Before he had time to react, he was engulfed by a bright golden light. Eddy was gone…

AN: DUN-DUN-DUH!! Cliff-hanger! What do you think happens to the kids? Have they been kidnapped? Have their memories been erased? Or are they dead…? Lol! Don't worry. All will soon be revealed, or as soon as I can get the next chapter uploaded….

P.S.: ooo is my symbol to signify a space between paragraphs, like the ending of a certain bit. In this chapter, it was used to show that the view had gone somewhere else.


	3. Chapter 3: The Chosen Ones

**AN: So how are you liking the story so far? I suppose I should explain the O.C.'s. So, listen up. I've always thought it's a shame that Edd is an only child, unlike the other Ed's. So, when writing this story, I developed Zoe as a sister. Now, when writing another story (which was rubbish, so I'm not going to publish it) I created Rebecca. She became Zoe and Edd's female cousin. To explain their absence from the series, a bad case of summer flu. The other O.C.'s are just characters I made up. Oh by the way, this is set during the summer vacation, so it's before the kid's have went back to school. So I hope you like this chapter! Signing out! **

**Chapter Three: The Chosen Ones**

**Edd awoke first, groggily and with a migraine that seemed to split his head in two. Resting his body on his feet, elbows and back, the 13 year old steadily rose. Taking in his surroundings, he saw that he was in some sort of chamber.**

**The floor was made of diamond and crystal, carved with intricate designs. The walls and ceiling were the same. Edd noticed that the chamber was circular, and the walls were quite high. But what astounded him the most was what was at the very centre of the chamber.**

**There, suspended in the air, was a large, floating crystal. It was perfectly shaped, and it was glowing a strange, colourless light. It was majestic gold, like the noon sun on a glorious, perfect summer's day, but Edd could just feel the light and power radiating from it.**

**An array of moans and groans rose around him, alerting him to the presence of his friends.**

"**Zoe!" He ran to the person nearest him. "Your alright!"**

"**Ooohh…" moaned the girl in question. "That was a rather strange experience. Where were you?"**

"**I was in a volcano," came the reply.**

"**Really? I was under water."**

"**I was in a mine!"**

"**I was in a forest!"**

**Soon, everyone was saying were they had been transported to. Suddenly, Zoe saw six people lying some feet away. She rushed over to them, and found Elle, Jennifer, Michael and the Kanker sisters groggily awaking. **

"**Ughh…" groaned Jennifer, "Where am I…?"**

"**In the Temple of Light," came a voice from the crystal. Everyone looked towards it, and saw twelve figures standing around the crystal. They were human in figure and were all dressed in different coloured cloaks: green, red, blue, yellow, orange, purple, white, pink, cerulean, scarlet, gold and black. The one that had spoken was the one in gold.**

"**Welcome, o Chosen Ones."**

"**Who are you, if I may ask?" asked Zoe politely. **

"**We," said the person in gold," are the Sages of the Elements. Every generation of Sages, since the time that the Prophecy was made, has waited for this day, for the arrival of the Chosen Ones."**

"**Hold on a sec," said Kevin. "Chosen Ones?"**

"**Yes," replied the golden Sage. "You are the Chosen Ones, the Guardians of the Elements. It is said in the Prophecy that in a time of great need, the Chosen Ones would come from another world, and battle with the forces of Evil. You, as young adults, are now the Chosen Ones. First we shall do the introductions.**

**Gold (Male) : "I am Arius, Sage of Light."**

**Black (Male): "I am Shadonor, Sage of Darkness."**

**Cerulean (Female): "I am Lexia, Sage of Time."**

**Scarlet (Female): "I am Olessa, Sage of Space."**

**Green (Female): "I am Naturia, Sage of Nature."**

**Red (Male): "I am Flarius, Sage of Fire." **

**Blue (Female): "I am Willowa, Sage of Water,"**

**Yellow (Male): "I am Eloxion, Sage of Electricity."**

**Orange (Female): "I am Ariana, Sage of Air."**

**Purple (Male): "I am Earthanos, Sage of Earth."**

**White (Male): "I am Icos, Sage of Ice."**

**Pink (Female): "And I am Penela, Sage of Psychic."**

"**We are the Sages of the Elements," said Arius, " and now we must tell you your Elements."**

**Flarius stepped forward.**

"**Eddward Cardsworth, step forward." Edd did so.**

"**You," said Flarius, "are the Chosen One of Fire, dealing justice and peace to wherever you shall travel." Edd started to glow red, and then went back to his spot.**

**Willowa stepped forward. "Zoe Cardsworth, step forward." Zoe did so.**

"**You are the Chosen One of Water, with wisdom as vast as the sea, and bringer of tranquillity to all." Zoe glowed blue, and then stepped back. **

**Penela stepped forward. "Rebecca Cardsworth, step forward." Rebecca did that.**

"**You are the Chosen One of Psychic, to sense what other's cannot sense, and to crave knowledge." Rebecca glowed pink, then returned to her place. **

**Naturia stepped forward. "Nazz Greene, step forward." Nazz did so.**

"**You are the Chosen One of Nature, kind and caring to the world and others, understanding them." Nazz glowed green, and returned to her spot.**

**Eloxion stepped forward. "Kevin Alston, step forward." Kevin did so.**

"**You are the Chosen One of Electricity, with strength and speed to help you protect those dear to you." Kevin glowed yellow, and went back to his spot.**

**Earthanos stepped forward. "Rolf Austinheim, step forward." Rolf did that.**

"**You are the Chosen One of Earth, a steady rock to support your friends, with unrivalled strength." Rolf glowed purple, and then returned to his space.**

**Ariana stepped forward. "Jimmy Tilton, step forward." Jimmy did this.**

"**You are the Chosen One of Air, as swift as a peregrine falcon, amusing sorrowful tales." Jimmy glowed orange, and stepped back to his place.**

**Icos stepped forward. "Sarah Baxter, step forward." The pre-teen did so. **

"**You are the Chosen One of Ice, with calm senses and the personality of a cold night." Sarah glowed white, and then ran over to Jimmy, as they hugged.**

**Olessa stepped forward. "Jennifer Goldton, step forward. Jen did so.**

"**You are the Chosen One of Space, seeing far and wide, providing sound knowledge." Jennifer glowed scarlet, and returned to her spot.**

**Lexia stepped forward. "Elle Goldton, step forward." Elle did as was said**

"**You are the Chosen One of Time, kind and trustworthy, summoning ancient forces to help." Elle glowed cerulean, and ran over to Jimmy and Sarah.**

**Shadonor stepped forward. "Jonny Maime, step forward." Jonny did so.**

"**You are the Chosen One of Darkness, calm and patient, but never afraid to help your friends." He glowed black, and Jonny returned to his spot.**

**Next, Arius stepped forward. "Eddy Johnston, step forward." Eddy did that.**

"**You are the Chosen One of Light, with unimaginable cunning, skill and speed." Eddy glowed gold and returned back to his spot, running as he did. **

**However, there were still five people left.**

"**Marie, Lee, and May Kanker," said Arius, "step forward."**

**The sisters did so.**

"**You have access to some techniques of the Elements, and there is a small number of Elements."**

"**Marie, you shall unlock some moves of Water, Ice, Air and Time."**

"**May, you shall unlock Nature, Earth, Space, and Psychic."**

"**And Lee, you shall unlock Fire, Electricity, Light and Darkness."**

**Now it was Ed and Michael's turn.**

"**Edwin and Michael," began Arius, "I'm afraid that for your Elements there are no Sages, as your Elements are not official ones. However, Michael Parkinson, step forward." Michael did so.**

"**You are the Chosen One of Unity, or Neutral. You have many talents, and are trusting and motivating." Michael glowed a pale brown, then stepped back.**

"**Edwin, step forward." Ed did as he was told.**

"**You are the Chosen One of Metal, trusting, strong and loyal. You always help everybody, even strangers." Ed glowed gray, then stepped back.**

"**Now that you are all ready," said Arius, "we will tell you of your task." **

"**Earlier today, in your home realm, your dwelling was attacked by Faith, the Messenger of Death."**

"**Now, in your world you believe in a number of religions: Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Judaism…These are the faiths of your world. However, there is one more faith not heard of in your world. The religion of Vetria. This religion exists on many, many dimensions. I tell you now that yes, your world, your dimension is not the only reality in the Universe. There are countless dimensions and timelines."**

"**Faith is a servant of Shadeus, the God of Darkness, Evil, and Death. She is his most loyal servant, and is an arch demon. Faith collects soul's for the Underworld, the realm where Shadeus and the Dark God's reside. Faith was sent to eliminate you, be-"**

"**WHAT!!" cried a terrified Jimmy.**

"**You are the Chosen One's," said Shadinor.**

"**You are to defeat Evil, and stop Shadeus."**

"**But how?" asked Edd.**

"**You will soon travel to a world called Gaia, to the Kingdom of Areth. Across this world of Gaia, there are twelve Elemental Crystals. These are needed to stop Faith. Your quest shall be challenging, but you will complete it." The Sage of Darkness almost sounded demanding when he said it.**

"**You must soon leave this place, the Temple of Light, and journey outside of it, to the Kingdom of Areth," said Olessa.**

"**You will begin your journey and defeat the Darkness."**

**Suddenly, a bright light glowed blue-white. It was emanating from the Crystal. **

**One by one, the light picked up the kids, and they were lifted into the air.**

**Suddenly, everything glowed white, and the kid's had to shield their eyes.**

"**Good luck," said Olessa's voice. "We shall pray for you."**

**Then a brilliant white light flashed, and the kids vanished from the Temple of Light…**

**ooo **

**Outside the Temple, there was a little street, called "Litea St." It seemed to belong in medieval times, as the people were wearing clothes from that era. They were brightly coloured, and so was the street.**

**In front of the Temple, in a little square branching off from the street, about a five minutes walk, there was a beautiful fountain. Water spouted from the mouths of twelve people carved into the stone. Their faces were studded with precious gems, and they seemed to be praying.**

**The square was quiet today. A half-dozen priests were doing odd jobs around the square, keeping it in top form. There were two women, a fifty-year old and her twenty-year old daughter, who were sitting by the fountain. The mother was wearing a mocha-brown dress, and a grey shawl. The daughter had a red dress on, minus the shawl.**

**They were having a picnic lunch. They were idly chatting, when there was a very faint rumbling sound. Suddenly, everything seemed different. The sun shone brighter, the sky was bluer, the pants were greener: everything seemed full of life.**

"**Wow," said the daughter, "I feel much better." **

"**Yes, dear," said the mother, looking puzzled. "What a strange occurrence…" **

**Unbeknownst to the people in the square, as they had their back's to it, a beam of golden light had shot out of the Temple roof, rising into the heavens…**

**ooo**

**Far away, on the Northern continent, Freecia, of Gaia, three people were huddled in a large hut. It was circular in shape, and there was two beds, one single, one double, a wooden table and four chairs, a wooden bookshelf, cupboard, and shelves, and a iron pot, roasting over an open fire.**

**Two of the people wore Inuit style clothing, suitable for the Arctic conditions on the continent. The other person was familiar: it was the ice girl from Sarah's vision.**

**Her name was Naomi, and she was a Fenrir Elf, an Elf of the North. She was gazing out of the doorway, in the direction of the Temple of Ice. A beam of light was shooting out of it's roof as well. Her eyes were shining.**

**There was hope yet.**

**ooo**

**An old man was gazing out of the glass wall, surveying the city below. He was on the top floor of the Aredos skyscraper.**

**He was seventy, bent over with arthritis . He had a bushy beard, white as snow, and was bald. He had a long sapphire blue tunic on, and a dark green cloak covered most of his body.**

**He lived on the Western continent, Aridia. His name was Mykel, and he was the grandfather of Alexander, President of the Aredos Corporation, the leading corporation in Aridia. It was also like the nations government.**

**Mykel was sad. He hated seeing Gaia abused.**

**But he was hopeful, because he could see a beam of light in the distance. It was emanating from the Eastern continent, Aretha.**

**He knew what it meant.**

**He had read the legends.**

**But he couldn't believe it.**

**A single tear of joy trickled down his face.**

**The world was saved.**

**ooo**

**High up in the heavens, above all worlds and dimensions, lay Utopia, Kingdom of the God's. They were sitting in their central chamber, discussing the beam of light.**

"…**and also Shadeus will be defeated," said one god. He was Firus, God of Fire. His hair was dark brown and spikey, and his eyes were deep blue, with flecks of brown. He wore a brown waistcoat, and brown pants, and an orange and red striped sleeveless shirt.**

**He was speaking to the Goddess next to him. She was his wife, Artemis, Goddess of Water. She had long, blonde hair and cerulean blue eyes. Her sleeveless dress was pink, with a wide red stripe around the waist.**

**Sitting on her right was Natura, Goddess of Nature. Her hair was dark, earthy brown, and her eyes were blue-green. Her dress was forest green, with brown stripes around the skirt region.**

**On her right was her husband, Rockas, God of Earth. He wore a brown tunic, and brown pants, with a grey waistcoat. His eyes were earth-brown, and so was his hair. **

**On his right was the God of Electricity, Thudos. He wore a long green cloak, and his tunic and shorts were green as well. A stark yellow belt was around his waist, and his cloud-black hair was neatly combed. His electric blue eyes were surveying the room, alert of any changes.**

**Seated on his right side was Aria, Goddess of Air. Here hair was midnight black, and it fell smoothly to her hips. A red bead necklace was around her neck, and she had two bracelets, one on either wrist, styled in the same way. Her sleeveless dress fell to her feet, and it was sky blue, just like her eyes.**

**Sitting across from her was the aged, but wise, Lumina, Goddess of the Moon and Stars. Her dress was night blue, and her sleeves were a slightly lighter shade. Her pale gray hair, like many Goddess's, was long: it fell to just above her waistline. Her pale, starry blue eyes were focused on the centre of the chamber.**

**Sitting on her right was her husband, Soro: the God of the Sun and Clouds.**

**He, too, was old and wise. His tunic and pants were red and yellow. His blue-brown eyes were also looking at the centre of the room.**

**On his right was Horo, God of Ice. His jumper was white, and so was his pants. There were green and yellow stripes on both of them, and they were on his white cape too. His eyes were icy blue, like a crystal. His hair was platinum blonde.**

**To Horo's right was his wife, Penelope, Goddess of Psychic. Her dress was pink, with white stripes around the skirt region. Her ashy blonde hair fell to her waist, and it's fringe concealed half of her right eye, which, like it's twin, was cobalt blue.**

**To her right was a man in armour. It was golden, with electric blue symbols etched on to it. His hair was grey, and streaked with black. His eyes were a swirling vortex of gray. He was Ageus, God of Time.**

**On his right was the twelfth god. He was like the man on his left, except his armour was silver and the symbols were red. His hair was black brown too, but his eyes were foggy blue, with speckles of gray. He was Dorian, the God of Space.**

**Between the two rows, on a higher throne than the other God's, was Lucas, God of Light. His short hair blonde, and his eyes were golden brown, like a freshly baked cake. His cloak, tunic and pants were a darker gold, but still as grand. The Head God was pondering about what the beam of light foretold.**

**ooo**

**Far away, in a forest in Areth, there was a spring of water.**

**In front of this spring was a young girl, about eleven years old. Her light blonde hair fell just below her shoulder blades, and the fringe curved around her face. Her dress was cream white, with frilly edges. It fell halfway between her waist and knees, and there were two straps over her shoulders, holding it up.**

**Her crystal blue eyes were gazing ahead, towards a beam of light in the distance.**

**She smiled to herself.**

**The Chosen Ones had come to Gaia…**

**AN: So? What did you think of that chapter? Tell me if you liked it in your reviews. The girl at the end will appear in another story, but not this one. Alright, so school's starting soon. My updates will drastically slow down, but I'll try to update as many chapters as I can before school starts. Hope you enjoyed the chapter! LucasBravvus97 has left the building! **


	4. Chapter 4: Welcome to Areth

AN: So what's everyone up to? Reading this story, I hope! Anyway, in this chapter the kid's choose their Job Class's, so see if you can guess who get's what job. Nazz's hairdo is like her cheerleader one.

Chapter Four: Welcome To Areth

Nazz's head was pounding. She couldn't see anything. The light was too bright. She was lying on some kind of surface, concrete or asphalt. Her body ached with pain. She could hear voices all around her.

"_Someone help those poor children!"_

"_Who on Gaia are they?"_

"_By Areth's name, where did they come from?"_

"_I don't know who they are or where they came from, but they just appeared out of nowhere."_

"_I saw them! They came after the beam of light!"_

"_Rejoice, citizens of Areth! The God's send help! These children are the Chosen One's, sent to help us! Rejoice!"_

"_No way!"_

"_If it's true, someone should take them to the castle."_

"_We'll do it. Come on, men!"_

Nazz felt herself being lifted up by firm, but gentle, hands, and she was carried out of the square. The same went for her friends. But she was thinking something. Where was the castle…?

ooo

Rebecca stirred. She had been having a peaceful, dreamless sleep. But now she was waking up, leaving the World of Dreams.

She opened her eyes. Bright, golden sunlight filtered through an open window. A cool breeze gently flowed past Rebecca, cooling her face. She sat up, and saw that she was in a bed. She looked round the room.

The bed was single, and white. It was quite comfy and soft. The bed frame was black, and made of iron. The room was small, and the furnishing was quite simple: a wooden desk with a chair, a chest of drawers, and a quaint little rocking chair.

Rebecca then noticed the person who was sitting in the chair. It was a girl, about thirteen years old, her own age. She was sleeping in the chair,

Her golden hair was long, and it fell to her waist. Her dress, sleeveless and rose pink, fell over her feet. A golden tiara, encrusted with rubies and pink alexandrite, was perched on her head.

Rebecca done nothing for a few minutes. Then, very slowly, she got out of bed, and tip-toed over to the door. Just as she was about to exit the room, the girl spoke to her.

"Oh, your awake. I was wondering when you were going to get up."

Rebecca turned around. The girl was smiling at her, her face and sky blue eyes shining. Rebecca returned the smile.

"Oh, dear me, I am sorry. I forget to properly introduce myself."

The girl stood up, and cleared her throat.

"My name is Vivian Areth, and I am the Royal Princess of Areth. I'm pleased to meet your acquaintance."

"Yeah, my name's Rebecca Cardsworth. I'm the Chosen One of Psychic. Do you know where my friends are?"

"Oh, sure. Their waiting downstairs for you. I was to take you to them as soon as you woke up. Follow me."

Vivian walked past Rebecca and out the door. She followed her. They came to a corridor, decorated with expensive ornaments, and walked to a staircase at the end of the hallway. They travelled down it, and came into a massive hall.

There were two thrones, and in these thrones sat a man and a woman, both forty-five. The man was King Edward, dressed in a red robe and a scarlet cloak. The woman was Queen Lillian, dressed in a fuchsia dress. Rebecca saw her friends standing a few paces away, and she ran over to them.

"Guys!"

The cul-de-sac kid's saw her, and their faces lit up.

"Rebecca!""Your okay!"

"Good to see ya!"

After speaking for a few minutes, the gang turned towards the King: he was about to make an important announcement. He stood up, and spoke in a deep voice.

"Earlier today, the 12th of July, 1324, the Chosen One's appeared in Temple Square, in this very Kingdom. Their coming was foretold, millennia ago, by Erica, the world renowned prophet. Here today, to explain their destiny, is a descendant of the great prophet."

A young woman walked into the room. She was about eighteen, and looked very serious. She wore a green-brown coat, but the collars were white, and the edges were a darker brown. She wore a white shirt and a dark brown skirt, with a golden belt buckle on it. Her boots were black, and came up to her thigh. A brown leather bag was slung over her right shoulder Her hair was black with violet streaks, combed into a neat style. It reached only her shoulder blades, and it sort of curved out. Her eyes were violet, and her face was stern.

"Alright, so if everyone's ready, then let's begin."

"My name is Taileia Tilafore, and I am a direct descendant of Erica the Prophet. Her most famous prophecy was that the Chosen One's would come to save this world, and it look's like it's came true. First of all, your going to have to chose Jobs. This way, please."

Taileia walked in to another room, and the kid's followed her. They were now in some sort of arena. She gestured for them to sit down, and they done so. Then she started to speak.

"Right, so first of all, you've got to choose Jobs. There are all different kinds of Jobs, like in an army there are Knights, Archers, Cavaliers, Dragoons…

There are also magic Jobs, like White Mage, Black Mage, Rodan Mage, Sage…First of all, I want you to get into a straight line-no pushing, please!-and wait for one moment."

The kid's were now in order, with Edd at the front. Taileia reached into her bag, and pulled out a golden orb. It shone like the Crystal of Light, and Taileia explained what it was.

"The Pathfinder Orb is an ancient relic, and it helps to choose Jobs for people. The Guardian Spirit of the Orb is a fairy, Lealelle. She will help decide your job."

Taileia placed the orb on the ground. It started to glow, and there was a poof of smoke. Now there was a tiny being, about five inches in length, standing beside it. Her dress was yellow, and so were her shoe's: they were made of some plant material. Her eyes were topaz, and her blonde hair was in a bun on her head. Her face was grinning: she looked like she was happy all the time.

"So, like, hi, guys! My name's, like, Lealelle, and I'm gonna help you choose your Job. So, if the first person would, like, step up to the Orb, then we can, like, start."

Edd was first up. He walked up to the Orb, and stopped a foot away from it. He looked up, nervously, to Lealelle, who was hovering a few feet away, for guidance. She smile encouragingly at him.

"Don't worry, dude. Just pick up the Orb, hold it for a few second's, and I'll, like, do my magic!"

Edd now walked right up to the Orb. He took a deep breath, and picked it up. Now that he was holding it, Lealelle started to pace in the air, deep in thought. After ten seconds she stopped, and looked up. The Orb was now glowing brighter. Lealelle looked at Edd, and outstretched her hands to the side.

"I decree that you should be a…Knight!"

At the last word, the little fairy clapped her hands. There was a puff of smoke, and Edd disappeared. Second's later he reappeared, but he had changed.

His orange shirt was now an orange tunic, with a red crystal design in the torso area. His short's were now a dark shade of blue, and he now wore hiking boots, brown in colour. In his right hand was a silver sword, long and sleek and lethal, and in his left was a red and golden shield.

Edd looked shaken, and he walked back to his spot without saying a word.

Next up was Zoe. She picked up the Orb, and Lealelle done the same procedure.

"I decree that you should be a…Sage!"

There was another puff of smoke, and Zoe too was in a different attire.

Her new dress was light pink. It had frilly edges, and it fell halfway between her knee's and waist. Two straps held it up, and her long blonde hair still fell freely to her waist. On her feet was a pair of pink plimsolls. In her right hand was a long, white staff, made of wood. There was a small, light blue crystal embedded in the tip of it. Her eyes, as pale blue as a clear sea, were filled with delight at her new appearance. She went back to her space.

Next was Eddy. The short boy walked up to the Orb, and held it aloft. Lealelle spoke almost instantly this time.

"I decree that you should be a…Thief!"

"Heh, go figure…" snickered someone in the queue.

Another puff of smoke, and now Eddy was changed too.

He wore a yellow tunic, with river blue shorts and a vermillion scarf around his neck. He wore a brown leather belt, with pockets and holsters galore. On his head was a pair of pilot goggles, flattening his few strands of brown hair. He wore brown fingerless gloves, and red boots. In his right hand was a dagger, only a few inches long, but lethally sharpened. He smirked, his teal eyes shining, thinking of all the mischief he could get up to.

Next was Rebecca. She walked up to the Orb confidently, and picked it up. A few seconds passed, and then Lealelle announced Rebecca's Job.

"I decree that you should be a…Black Mage!"

Another puff of smoke, and Rebecca had changed her clothes.

She was now wearing a black and white striped dress, the same length as Zoe's. A black cardigan was around her shoulders, the same colour as the plimsoll's on her feet. Her hair was blonde and shoulder length: it curved down towards the hollow of her neck. Her green eyes were in awe as she looked at the rod in her right hand: it was black with gold stripes, and at the tip was a golden orb, small in size, with two black wing-like additions either side of it.

Next was Jimmy. Slowly and nervously, he tittered up to the Orb. When he reached it, he reached out and, very carefully, picked it up between his thumb and middle finger. After a few seconds, Lealelle proclaimed young Jimmy's Job.

"I decree that you should be a…Archer!"

In a puff of smoke, Jimmy's outfit had changed.

The young boy was now dressed in a green cloak, with a tree brown collar. A white shirt and brown trousers now replaced his usual clothes. On his back was a leather quiver chock-full of arrows, and in his left hand was a long slender bow, beautifully crafted. Jimmy gave a shriek when he saw the weapon in his hand. He ran away to the corner of the arena.

"…Okay. Next up, please!" said Lealelle.

Sarah was up. She ran up to the Orb, and hastily picked it up. Lealelle soon announced her Job.

"I decree that you should be a…Ninja!"

In a bang and puff of smoke, Sarah was now dressed in a green sweater vest, black mini shorts, brown Ugg boots, and a red leather belt. In holsters on this belt were countless shuriken and kunai. Her hair was now in a ponytail, with a green hair band. Almost instantly she ran over to Jimmy.

Now it was Rolf's turn. He walked up to the Orb, and, with great reverence, picked it up. After a few seconds, Lealelle decided his job.

"I decree that you should be a…Monk!"

Now, in another poof of smoke, Rolf changed.

He now wore a sleeveless blue tunic. A black belt was around his waist, signifying the difference between his tunic and light blue pants. Fingerless brown gloves were on his hands, and he was barefoot. He bowed, reverently, and went back to his place.

Now it was Nazz's chance. She stepped up, and grabbed the Orb. It shined, as Lealelle announced her Job.

"I decree that you should be a…Rodan Mage!"

Another puff of purple smoke, and now everyone saw the new Nazz.

Her dress was as long as Zoe and Rebecca's. It was lilac, with white stripes, and there was a lavender ribbon in the centre. Her hair was now in two pigtails, and her shoes were lilac as well. In her right hand was a purple staff, like Zoe's.

After Nazz was Kevin. He walked up, and grabbed the Orb. Soon Lealelle announced his Job.

"I decree that you should be a…Knight!"

Kevin was now, in a smoke-puff, dressed like Edd: except his tunic was light green, without the crystal design, his shorts were brown, and his boots were black. His shield was silver and blue, and his sword was wickedly sharpened. Kevin grinned as he walked away.

Now it was Jonny's turn. He walked up to the Orb, and lifted it up.

"I decree that you should be a…Dragoon!"

Now Jonny, in a puff of smoke, was dressed in a suit of golden armour, with blue and red stripes. A dragon-like helmet was on his head, and he carried a spear in his left hand.

"Alright, Plank!" he said to his imaginary friend, as the two of them walked away.

Now it was the Kanker sisters turn. They all ran forward, snatching the Orb from each other. As a result, it took quite a while for Lealelle to decide their jobs.

"I decree that you should be a…Bard!"

"I decree that you should be a…Scholar!"

"I decree that you should be a…Dancing Warrior!"

In a huge puff of smoke, all three sisters changed outfits.

Marie now wore a sea blue dress with white triangles around the edges. A dark blue ribbon, with tiny silver slay bell's, was in her hair, blending in with her hair colour. A green poncho was around her shoulders, the colour of a stormy sea. She wore light blue sandals, and a golden, beautifully crafted harp was in her hands. It was covered in mural's of fairies and mermaid's, all made of precious gems, like rubies, sapphires, emeralds and garnet.

May was now dressed in a white button-up shirt, with a frilly collar. Her skirt was brown, and her boots were black stilettos. A heavy green coat was upon her, unbuttoned, with brown edges. A green ribbon was in her hair, the colour of leaves. In her right hand was a thick, brown leather tome, with a title illustrated in gold ink.

Lee was wearing a red tank top, with orange stripes. Her mini-skirt was red, and she wore black tights with yellow gladiator shoe's. She wore golden bracelets and anklets, and her weapon's were two rod's, red, yellow and orange striped, with a marble tip. Her hair was now adorned with ribbon's and hair bands, in exotic colours like scarlet, vermillion, and terracotta. She looked very exotic.

"All right!" cried all three sisters, as they walked away, arm in arm.

"So who's next?" asked Elle, as she, Michael, Jennifer and Ed were last.

"Ed will go!" cried a gleeful Ed. He ran to the Orb, picked it up, and started poking it. Every time he poked it, Lealelle flinched. However, she soon proclaimed his Job.

"I decree that you should be a…Viking!"

In a flash and puff of smoke, Ed was now dressed like a typical Viking.

He wore a dark bronze helmet, tall and cone shaped, adorned with two alabaster horns and two blue circles. His electric blue tunic was barely viewable, hidden under a large bronze breastplate, and his boots were bronze as well. His gauntlets and gloves were made of sturdy bronze, and in his right hand was a huge war axe, blood red and deadly.

"Lothar the Barbarian has been reborn!" cried a gleeful Ed, as he ran around the arena, swinging his axe.

As Edd and Taileia tried to calm him down, Elle walked up to the Orb. Carefully, she picked it up and held it in her hands. After a few seconds, Lealelle announced her job.

"I decree that you should be a…White Mage!"

In a puff of smoke, Elle was now wearing a knee length, sleeveless dark purple dress. It had small scarlet triangles around the edges, and her shoes, plimsoll's, were the same shade of red. Her eyes were teal blue, like a spring sea, and her hair, ash blonde, was in a bun on top of her head. In her right hand, pointing towards the ground, was a white staff, made of beech tree wood. There was a small crystal at the tip, and the staff was designed to form a cage around it. Elle looked at her new gear.

"Cool," was all she said as she walked away.

Now it was Jennifer's turn. Walking up to the Orb, she was wringing her hands together. She then picked it up, and Lealelle done her duty.

"I decree that you should be a…Summoning Mage!"

In the usual routine, Jennifer was now dressed like a Summoning Mage.

Her dress was a summer frock; it was normal at the waistline, but it then jutted out as a skirt. It was yellow and orange striped, and her shoes were black high heels. Her hair was strawberry blonde, and it was curly, falling to just below her shoulders. Her eyes, teal shaded like Elle's, were scrutinising her new dress.

"Hmm…It'll do. I like the colours." She then walked away.

Last but not least was Micheal. He was the last in line, and now Lealelle done her magic for the last time.

"I decree that you should be a…Dragoon!"

In a final puff of smoke, Michael was now dressed as a Dragoon, but he wasn't like Jonny. He wore a flame red tunic, with black pants and onyx coloured hiking boots. A golden visor was on his head, attached to a golden helmet. It concealed his spiky blonde hair, although his eyes, foggy blue, were still visible. In his right hand was a long spear, fashioned of silver and steel, and in his left was a dark blue shield, with edges of pure silver. A fierce picture of a dragon, resembling the one Edd had seen, was in the centre, adding an element of fright. He twirled the spear about, and then walked back to the arena.

"Okay," said Lealelle, now that all was done. "If we're finished, then it's time for me to skedaddle. So, like, see you soon, everybody!" In a flash of light, Lealelle disappeared. Now everyone, except Taileia, sat on the sandy arena floor.

"Okay," she began, "now Lealelle has chosen your Jobs, and if you don't like them then too bad, because Lealelle thought that the Jobs were compatible with your skills and personality's. Now, to see if your capable of saving the world, we're going to have a little training match. Now, all of you plus me equals eighteen. So we're going to be in six groups of three. Now, here are our teams:

Team One: Edd, Eddy and Zoe.

Team Two: Ed, Nazz and Rolf.

Team Three: Elle, Sarah and Jimmy.

Team Four: Kevin, Micheal and Rebecca.

Team Five: Lee, May and Marie.

Team Six: Jonny, Jennifer and myself.

So now Team One will face their first challenge. Everyone else, onto the stands, please."

Once everyone had done that, Taileia addressed Team One.

"Right, now you will face a team consisting of a Goblin, Skeleton and Petit. You can use skills to fight them, or any techniques that you have. Pull up the gates!"

The gates rolled up, and three pairs of menacing eyes glowed out from the murky darkness. Then Taileia ran into the stands, and their opponents stepped into the arena.

The Goblin was had green skin, and was wearing a brown tunic, brown pants, an orange helmet and white gloves. Two pointed ears stuck out from under the hat, and in it's right hand was a dagger, made especially for war.

The Skeleton had orange shoulder and waist pads, and it wore purple boots. In it's left hand was a long sword.

The Petit was a squirrel like creature. The fur on it's body, hands, feet and head was orange brown, and the fur on its arms, legs and face was yellow. A blue collar of fur was around it's neck, and there was blue rings around its yellow tail. The Petit was hopping up and down, supporting itself on its tail.

"Now," cried Taileia from the stands, "let the fight begin!"

AN: So? Do you like the Jobs? There all from Final Fantasy anyway. Well, hope you like this chapter. See you!


	5. Chapter 5: Training for Battles

AN: Hope you like this chapter, as the kids prepare for their rookie battles. Oh, and everyone can do magic in this story: but like, only magic like their Element, e.g. Edd's is Fire, so his magic moves are Fire-themed e.g. **Fire**, **Flame Blast**, **Pyro Strike**. However, Mages can do all kind's of Magic. Hope that clears things up for you! Note: In Gaian time, this story takes place in the summer of 1326 A.D. P.S.: I think the Symbols for Taileia are Greek, but I'm not sure. Let's just pretend their Arcanian (an ancient Gaian language.) It's cool to use a weird dialect. At least, I think it is…

Chapter Five: Training for Battles

"Let the fight," cried Taileia, "begin!"

Edd, Eddy and Zoe advanced towards the Goblin, Skeleton and Petit trio.

With a battle cry, Edd ran up to the Skeleton, striking it a blow with his sword. As he prepared to attack it again, the Skeleton defended itself, as the pair became locked in a heated duel.

Edd swung his sword continuously, but the Skeleton blocked each attack. Edd then slashed at the Skeleton's sword arm, and the sword, miraculously, broke into three shards.

Defenceless, the creature was struck down by Edd's sword; it was cut in half at the waist, falling apart on the ground. Then it disappeared in a dark cloud of shadows. Edd, now tired, plopped onto the ground, breathing hard.

Eddy and the Goblin were circling each other, both glaring. They made no show to attack, as they kept on staring, unblinking, at each other. Each one carried their knifes in their right hand. Then, suddenly, the Goblins left eye began to twitch, a result of not blinking for several minutes. It tried to keep it's eyes open, but they soon closed.

That was all Eddy needed.

In that split second, he raced, fast as lightning, towards the Goblin, and stuck his knife into it's chest. Dark, sticky red blood oozed out, as the fiend collapsed onto the sandy ground. It then evaporated in a cloud of shadows.

Zoe and the Petit were standing about three metres away from each other. Zoe didn't really know what to do. She started thinking: what spell's could she do as a Sage?

Then it hit her.

Satisfied, Zoe prepared to chant her spell. But the Petit had a few tricks up its sleeve. It jumped up and down, and a white circle appeared around it. Then, in a chirpy voice, it chirped out:

"**Basbup**!**"**

Zoe was saved from death by inches, as the huge icicle hurtled past her, crashing into the lower wall. She could hear her friends cheering for her. But the Petit called out another spell, as a red circle formed around it.

"**Chavoi**!"

A huge globe of flames sped towards her. But she was prepared, as her spell would cancel out this spell's effect:

"**Water**!"

A beam of water shot from her outstretched right hand, coming into contact with the fireball. The ball of heat erupted into flames, but the aqua beam sped right through it, careening towards the Petit. The water slammed into the creature, and they both exploded, the Petit in shadows.

Now that all three monsters were defeated, it was time for Team Two to fight.

"Right," said Taileia, "so Nazz, Ed, and Rolf, you will fight a team consisting of a Mandrake, Rust Bird, and Cursed Copper. Same rules apply. Pull up the gates!"

As the gates were hoisted up, Team Two saw their opponents.

The Mandrake was tall and red. It's arms had green claws at the end, the same for it's feet. The head supported two massive horns.

The Rust Bird was bat like. It was purple, and had pointed fangs. It was also like a butterfly, as it had four wings.

The Cursed Copper was strange: it was just three large copper coins floating in mid-air.

Before the battle started, Rolf spoke to his team mates.

"No-brain Ed boy and go-go Nazz girl, in myths from Rolf's home country, Rolf has heard of these creatures. The Mandrake is weak against almighty Earth, the Bird of Rust cannot stand Air, and the Cursed Copper does not have any weakness's."

"Thanks for the info, Rolf," said Nazz. "So guys, let's do this!"

"YEAH!" shouted Ed.

"Let the battle," said Taileia, "begin!"

Rolf ran up to the Mandrake, since his element was Earth. He landed a powerful punch on the creature: it should have done nothing, but because he was a Monk, and his Element was Earth, it inflicted huge damage on the Mandrake. The creature was hurtled backwards, careening into a wall. It got back up again, and punched Rolf's stomach.

"Oooff!"

Rolf fell backwards, onto the ground, and the Mandrake saw it's chance. It pulled back it arm, and prepared to swipe Rolf's chest.

But Rolf was tough, and he jumped up, just as the Mandrake swung it's claw. It's claw caused a crater in the ground, where Rolf had been standing just mere seconds before. Now Rolf prepared to defeat the creature once and for all.

"**Earthen Blast**!"

A huge pillar of rock and mud emerged from the ground, slamming straight into the Mandrake. The creature was torn in half by the pillar of stone, and it evaporated in a cloud of shadows.

Ed was battling against the Rust Bird, and he wasn't having an easy time. The monster was agile and swift, dodging his every attack. It then swooped in with an attack of it's own, it's razor sharp wings slicing at Ed's skin. Ed ducked just in time, as the monster missed his head by inches. He swooped upwards with his axe, taking the monsters head clean off. A jet of blood spurted from the bloody stump, and the beast evaporated. The monster defeated, Ed started doing a jovial victory dance.

Nazz was preparing to cast a spell at the Cursed Copper. Her hands and eyes both glowed blue, and the Mage cast a spell at the possessed metal.

"**Libra**!"

A light purple haze appeared around the animated metal, and time seemed to stop for a few seconds. In those few, yet crucial, seconds, Nazz was witness to a rather peculiar phenomenon. A sphere of fire and an orb of water was approaching the Cursed Copper. The bubble of water reached the Cursed Copper first, slamming into it. It hardly affected it at all.

But the fire ball was another story. When it crashed into the Cursed Copper, the coins shattered on impact, with a horrible screeching sound. Soon the vision faded, and the Cursed Copper was still there, hovering in mid-air.

_So if Fire is it's weakness, then it's time for a little burning_… Thought Nazz as she prepared to cast a Fire spell:

"**Fira**!"

A cone of fire erupted from her hand, and blasted towards the Cursed Copper. It shattered on impact, and the dizzying fume of roasting metal filled the air.

But that wasn't important, because Team Two had won their battle.

"Great job, guys!" called Taileia. "That was a good tactic Nazz, using Libra."

"What is that spell anyway?" piped Sarah, as Team Two made their way over to the stands. "All I saw was Nazz standing there for a few seconds, in some sort of weird mumbo-jumbo trance.""Well, Sarah," began Taileia, "let me tell you about Magic. There are three types: White is defensive, Black is offensive, while Summoning is a mixture of both. White Magic is mainly status spells, like Libra, Confuse, Poisona etc, and defensive spells, like Protect, Haste, Cure etc, with a few attack spells, namely Nature, Water, Air, Psychic, Light and Time.

Black Magic is purely offensive, with powerful spells like Fire, Electricity, Earth, Ice, Darkness and Space, with some status spells like Poison, Blind, Erase etc. Summoning, however, is a totally different system.

There are three kinds of Summons: Eonns, Aeons and Espers. Eonn's are humanoid, like Ariel, Roxas, Arianna etc., Aeon's are powerful creatures, e.g. Shiva, Ifrit, Rosade, Leviathan, and the mighty Bahamut etc., while Espers are quite peculiar. Every human being has an Esper, which is a shade of their personality, moulded by your Element, For instance, is your Element is Ice, your Esper will be Ice-themed. And also, every Esper is unique. Never forget that.

And to answer your question, Sarah, Libra is a spell which reveals a beings Elements. Cursed Copper's defence is against Water, while it's weakness is Fire. Therefore, Nazz attacked it with Fira."

"Now I kinda get it…" answered Sarah, her face still looking a bit confused.

"Good, because next up is Team Three. Please enter the pit," concluded Taileia, and Sarah, Jimmy and Elle did so.

"Will they be okay?" whispered Jennifer to Taileia, who was seated next to her. "I mean, Sarah's strong, Jimmy's agile and Elle is a strategic mastermind, but their all only ten, and Elle's nine!"

"Rest assured, Jennifer," Taileia, "they can handle it, so they'll be fine. They wouldn't be Chosen Ones if they couldn't."

"Now," said Taileia in a much louder voice, "pull up the gates!"

"YOU CAN DO IT, ELLE!!" screamed Jennifer.

The gates, a mixture of concrete, iron and ebony, slowly clanked open, and Team Three's challengers stepped out of the murky darkness.

The first monster caused a concerned Jennifer to scream out.

"OH MY GOD, THAT'S MEDUSA!!"

Yes, the first monster was a Gorgon, like Medusa and her sisters, Stheno and Eurayle.(AN: There's your daily fact) Her hair was long and composed of snakes, with poison-green scales, writhing and wriggling around her head. Her skin was a sickly green colour, and she was incredibly ugly. The Gorgon's hands were bronze talons, clawed and lethally sharp, with dried specks of blood on the fingertips: evidence of the mass loss of life she had caused. Her feet and skin were scaly and slimy, almost serpentine, and a pair of small golden wings were on her back. A grimy purple tunic, tattered and ripped, covered her torso and chest. Her teeth were vampire fangs, dripping with blood and her poisonous saliva, and two boars tusks jutted out from each side of her mouth. Her eyes were blood red, and they sent terror spiralling through your heart.

Everybody screamed and turned away, but Edd couldn't. He just kept staring at the monsters face. After about ten seconds, he noticed something really freaky.

_Why am I not turned into stone_?

"Because," said Taileia, as if she had read his mind, "this Gorgon is a child of Stheno, and can only gradually turn people into stone, known as Gradual Petrification."

"Thank God," said Jennifer, wiping sweat off her brow.

But then the next monster emerged.

This beast was huge. It was insect-like, with a slimy mauve coloured body, suspended a few feet above the ground, because of six tentacle-like legs that sprouted out from the creature's sides, three on each. There were purple suction cups on the end of each leg, the same colour as the creatures body. It had two black pincers were its mouth should be, and had thousands of beady black eyes.

"That's a Babichi, native to the Isle of Junga, near Arigo, the Southern Continent. There, you've only been here a few hours and already your learning some Gaian geography!"

Finally the next monster appeared. This one wasn't relatively as menacing as the other two. It seemed to be a wolf, snow-white, with large fangs claws that could shred through concrete. It's eyes were ice-blue, and swirling blue lines were all over the monsters body.

"That's a rouge Fenrir Wolf," explained Taileia. "Usually they act as guardians of the tundra in Freecia, the Northern Continent, but this one's gone bad."

"Taileia," said Jennifer, in a frantic voice. "Are you sure this is safe?"

"I'm sure," said Taileia. "Now," she said, in a much louder voice, "let the fight begin!"

Surprisingly, Jimmy and the Gorgon moved first. The beast slithered around the sandy floor of the arena, circling Jimmy. Jimmy was visibly shaking, but his hands remained on a wooden steel-tipped arrow, notched into the bow. The Gorgon hissed as she lunged out at Jimmy. The young Archer dodged the shrieking fiend just in the nick of time, because if he had left it a nanosecond later, his head would have been brought clean off!

Jimmy swivelled round on his feet, and his cloak buffeted in the air. The Gorgon turned around too, and lunged at him again, her eyes wide and bloodshot. But Jimmy, once again, jumped out of the way, and the Gorgon missed her target again, screaming with rage. It continued like this, a dance of death, as the Gorgon lunged and Jimmy dodged.

But after two minutes, Jimmy noticed how his body was beginning to slow. His limbs were stiff, his movements sluggish. In his mind, he remembered Taileia's words of wisdom…

_Child of Stheno…_

_Gradual Petrification…_

Now he understood. In trying to avoid the beast, he had been susceptible to it's attac-

_Clank!!_

Two sharp bronze talons were now wrapped around his neck. He and the Gorgon were neck and neck: the Gorgon was cackling with glee, and Jimmy was struggling to breathe. But now he done his final attack. He raised his bow, and notched the arrow as far back as it could go. He aimed it at the Gorgon's nose, and the fiend, surprisingly, ceased to cackle.

_Whoosh!!!_

The arrow hit it's mark, as Jimmy jumped back. The result of the attack caused Nazz to vomit up her lunch. The Gorgon evaporated and Jimmy, now extremely tired, plopped on to the sandy ground.

Elle wasn't as fortunate. Her staff was raised in defence, but the Fenrir Wolf, sensing the obvious fear in her eyes, was slowly advancing, a deep growl in the back of his throat.

"Grrrrrrr…"

Without any warning, the wolf leapt up at Elle. It snarled, and she screamed and turned away, raising her hands in defence. She waited for the beast to rip out her throat, but he never did. She peeked behind her hands, and stared in awe. The wolf was suspended in the air, enclosed in a semi-transparent cobalt sphere. Elle and the Wolf stared at each other, each with their mouth agape.

Then Elle grinned.

She pushed out her arm, and the sphere, with the wolf inside it, hurtled backwards into the wall. The beast howled in it's death throes, and soon lay still. It's body evaporated in a clod mist, that emanated from it's frigid pores.

Sarah was left to kill the Babichi. The bug monster screeched at her, and spat out some of its poisonous green saliva. With great agility, Sarah dodged the beast attack. Jumping in the air, she launched three shuriken at the Babichi. Two hit the beast's head, causing green blood to jet out from the wounds. The other reached the middle leg on the creatures right, and sliced it clean off! The Babichi roared in agony, and tried to attack Sarah; but because of its leg injury, the Babichi collapsed under it's own weight. The monster was now lying on it's side, waiting for Sarah's final attack.

Sarah, meanwhile, seeing that the Babichi was defenceless, rooted about in her main holster, on the right side of her belt. She found a strange, flat, square package at the bottom of her holster. She pulled it out, and saw it was made of silver, and compressed into five layers. At her touch it started to rattle about, so she hastily put it down on the ground, and ran back a few feet. The package popped open, and Sarah gaped in wonder.

The package had unfolded to reveal that it was, in fact, a large four-bladed shuriken. There was also a circular opening in the middle of the shuriken. Sarah timidly picked up the weapon, and was surprised to find that her hand fitted perfectly into the hole. Examining the hole, she saw that this shuriken was called a Mega-Shuriken. Then, with all her might, she swung the Mega-Shuriken at the Babichi. Her strike was so powerful that it decapitated the beast. Sarah simply smirked, as, in her own way, she celebrated her victory.

"Team Three wins!" called Taileia. Team Three made their way over to the stands, and tiredly plopped down onto the seats.

"Next up is Team Four!" called Taileia. Michael, Kevin and Rebecca made their way the arena.

"Pull up the gates!" called Taileia,. The gates opened, and the monsters emerged.

The first one was human-like, but seemed to have elfin ancestry. It was female, with pointed ears, a very thin smile, and dark purple iris'. Her robe, which fell to her feet, was as purple as her iris', and her cloak was dark, dark black, embroidered with golden-silk signs of the zodiac. She carried a ebony staff, with an emerald tip, in her right hand, and a thick, cow-hide leather tome, scarlet in colour, in her left hand.

"That's a Circet," explained Taileia. "It's not really evil nor a monster: it's a elf-like sorceress creature, that lives in forests on the east of this continent."

The next monster was quite strange: it's body and wing's were bat like, and so was it's head. It's long tail had a large ball at the end, and it had black and red skin. It had a vulture's beak and claws for hands and feet, and it made a strange shrieking noise.

"That is a Vulbat," continued Taileia. "Part vulture, part bat. It originates in the Centra Mts., _waaay _east of here."

The final monster came into the warm, bright midday sunlight. It was serpentine, and also dragon-like. It's body was between four to five feet long, and was covered in hard, pentagon-shaped, poison-green scales. It's claws, though small, were quite sharp, and were laden with night-black scales. It had no legs; instead, it slithered about on it's slimy body, swinging it's tail as it went. It's eyes had no whites, iris' or pupils. They were just one big space, the colour of freshly spilt royal-red blood. It's hair was long, and black as night. Its teeth were huge fangs, pearly white, with it's venomous saliva, bile-green, dripping off them. A sleeveless red tunic, tattered, ripped and grimy, hung off it's chest

"That," said Taileia, with a crinkled-up face, "is a **female **Nyx Spawn. Legend says that aeons ago, when the world was new, a monstrous sea serpent, Nyx, terrorised the planet. However, the Goddess of Water, Artemis, sealed Nyx away, trapping her under a large island city, Atlantis. But before she was sealed away, Nyx laid 100 eggs. One of them hatches every one thousand years, and they are called Nyx Spawn. This Nyx spawn is merely a clone of a true Nyx Spawn that recently hatched, so it won't be a total loss."

"How do you know so much about monsters?" asked a quizzical Zoe, who looked a little sweaty and nervous. "You seem to have an answer for everything."

"That's because I'm a Monsterologist, a kind of scientist who studies and observes monsters in their natural habitat. You wouldn't believe the amount of monsters we had to capture, just for you kids."

"Sorry, dudette," grinned Eddy. "But ya can't blame us. We didn't exactly _plan_ to come here, you know."

"Your right. My apologies, Eddy."

Taileia paused, taking a deep breath.

"But now, let the battle begin!"

Kevin and the Circet moved first, with Kevin going in for a full-frontal strike. But the Circet, with a mischievous grin, pointed her staff at Kevin, opened her tome, and recited a very peculiar spell

"_**Oh powerful warriors of fire and flame,**_

_**you are my link to thy power arcane.**_

_**For you to fight my need is dire,**_

_**let me use you to channel the power of Fire!"**_

She outstretched her right hand, and a white hot beam of lava erupted from it. It careened towards Kevin, who dodged it in the nick of time. However, it didn't stop. It swivelled round, and started for Kevin again. It's heat was unbearable; it singed the hairs on Kevin's arms. But then, with all his strength, he slashed at the centre of the column, and the pillar of lava erupted in a tremendous explosion.

"Very good," said the Circet, in a child-like voice. "But see if you can beat my next move!"

Again she pointed the staff at Kevin, and opened the tome.

"_**Oh ancient beings of water and wave,**_

_**my body and spirit I call thee to save.**_

_**As dolphins swim and play does an otter,**_

_**let me use you to channel the power of Water!"**_

An arc of water blasted, this time from her forehead. As it increased it's speed, it picked up momentum and power. It was so fast that Kevin didn't get out of the way in time. It blasted straight into his chest, and with an _Ooofff_! Kevin was thrown back a few metres.

He was in pain. His head was pounding and his stomach felt queasy. Slowly, he stood up, and glared at the Circet. With a mighty warrior cry, Kevin rushed towards the sorceress, and, with his sword, impaled her in the chest. A mist-like substance poured out from the wound. The Circet simply looked at Kevin and smiled.

"You will make a great Chosen One."

Then she vanished into thin air, and Kevin sheathed his sword.

Rebecca was duelling with the Vulbat, Mage vs. Monster. The fiend swooped down, and swung it's rock-hard, spherical tail at her head. Rebecca dodged by mere inches, but the Vulbat launched at her again, attempting to impale her throat with it's beak. But she dodged again, and flung her fist at the creature's leg. It was like punching concrete. With a sharp inhale, Rebecca retracted her fist, blowing on it to cool the pain. But the Vulbat attacked her again, this time jabbing with it's claws. Rebecca realised that this beast was a natural-born hunter.

It was aiming to kill. __

Rebecca's mind was working overtime, trying to figure out a strategy to kill the beast. What could she do? Her thoughts ended abruptly, as the Vulbat attacked her yet again. The beast dived downwards, and Rebecca stepped back, and squeezed her eyes shut. Acting on instinct, she roughly pushed out her hands, and said one simple word:

"**Psychic**!"

She waited. And waited. Still waiting. She slowly opened one eye, and, with a shock, saw the Vulbat suspended in mid-air. It's body was stock-still, but it's eye's were darting about all over the place. Rebecca was curious: what had caused this? Suddenly, a thought whirled into her brain, which was functioning like clockwork. Was it possible? It might be… She tried to remember what hand she had stuck out first. The right one had been first…Slowly, Rebecca swung her right hand side to side. The Vulbat rocked from side to side. She lifted her hand up and down. The Vulbat swung up and down too. A grin spread across her face.

Since her Element was Psychic, she could, when she wanted to, control people's actions! She started to run towards the Vulbat, and she pushed out her right hand. The bat beast careened backwards into the arena wall, creating a large crater. She then proceeded to start turning about in circles, and the Vulbat done a continuous circle just within the rim of the arena. However, Rebecca realised that she needed to finish off this beast. She tried to slowly lower her arm, while keeping the beast in the same position, trying to use not her limbs, but her mind. To her surprise, it worked first time. Then her vision became hazy, and her body felt weak. But suddenly a wave of energy arced through her, and she called out the most powerful Psychic attack:

"**Psi Beam**!"

A pink beam of energy erupted from her forehead, directly between her two eyes. It hit the Vulbat square in the chest, and the creature evaporated on sight.

"Who's the boss?" called Rebecca.

Only Michael and the Nyx Spawn remained. He wasted no time, running up to the beast and slashing at it with his spear. The serpent writhed to one side, and slashed at Michael's legs with her black, talon-like claws, Deep gashes appeared on his legs, as he cried out in pain. He rolled to the left, and stabbed at the beast with his spear. The Nyx Spawn slithered away before she was hit, and Michael's spear was impaled in the sandy ground. He hastily pulled out his spear, and charged at the Nyx Spawn. The serpent faced him, ready to duel.

_Lunge_.

_Sidestep_.

_Slash_.

_Parry_.

To Michael's dismay, the Nyx Spawn deflected every move. Her shrill cackle resonated in the air, and only fuelled Michael's anger. He lunged at the beast again, but this time she used her wings. She flew up into the air, and opened her maw, a disgustingly foul stench wafting out from it. Then a wave of fire erupted from her mouth, determined to engulf Michael. He knelt down on one knee, and raised his shield up. The fire beam hit the shield straight on, and Michael was sent flying backwards into the wall. His head slammed against it, and he faded into unconsciousness…

ooo

"MICHAEL!!!"

Jennifer's scream filled the air, as she saw Michael lying on the arena floor, out cold. She turned to her neighbour, Taileia.

"Do something!"

Taileia grimaced.

"I can't. If Michael can't win this fight, then he wont be a good Chosen One. If he's not a good Chosen One, then he can't save the world."

"But-"

Taileia cut Jennifer off, with a restraining hand.

"All we can do is hope."

ooo

Michael stirred in his slumber. His head hurt like hell, but he was alive. That was all that mattered. He heard his friends voices in the distance, begging him, pleading with him, to wake up. He groggily awoke; to the sight of the Nyx Spawn, ready to pounce on him. Shockingly, for someone who had just cracked their skull against a concrete wall, he leapt onto his feet, poised for a fight. The Nyx Spawn slashed at his right arm, and a gash was cut into it. Michael, with a hiss of pain, leapt back, but some of his deep red blood splattered on the creatures mouth.

No one, except Taileia and the Nyx Spawn, was prepared for what happened next.

Taileia stiffened, and a look of alarm flashed across her face. The kids, including Michael, noticed this, and were worried as to why this had happened. Then they looked towards the beast, and their questions were answered. The Nyx Spawn was stock still, her body not moving at all. Michael's blood was slowly dripping from _just _above the serpents mouth, in the right hand nook. With apprehension, she reached out with her long, snake-like tongue, and licked the blood until there was none left. For a few seconds she ceased to move.

Then the frenzy began.

With no warning, her body began to shake violently, as is she was having a fit. Her eyes, an expanse of red, dilated, and the kids saw the pearly whites. (Later, Edd correctly deduced that the creature only had iris' and whites, but no pupils. However, her iris' were so big that her whites lay under the scales surrounding her eyes). She began to froth at the mouth, like a rabid hound. Her foaming saliva was bile-green, streaked with crimson. Her body, claws and teeth all grew longer, and her claws and teeth also grew much, much sharper. She howled, a raspy, witch-like scream, and glared at Michael…

ooo

"DO SOMETHING!!" screamed Jennifer. She began to sob hysterically, and Zoe, Nazz and Rebecca attempted to calm her.

"I wish I could, but we can't let the her out of the arena. She's too dangerous. Good Lucas, I never should have chosen the Nyx Spawn.."

"But Taileia," asked Ed, "what's wrong with the serpent of Hades?"

"The Nyx Spawn has tasted Michael's blood, and she has developed a craving for it. In other words, she won't stop hunting Michael unless either she is killed, or she has drunk every drop of Michael's blood…"

The other kid's could only gape and stare and horrified silence.

ooo

The Nyx Spawn was looking at Michael with hazy eyes.

"Your blood tastes so… so good…"

Michael came to a disgusting revelation. The Nyx Spawn was drunk. Drunk on his blood. It had the same effects as a drug; she was euphoric, on a high. She started to giggle insanely, like a demented lunatic. She lunged at him, and Michael fell on to the ground, the Nyx Spawn on top of him. The frenzy took hold of her again, as she clawed at his chest. He could hear his comrades calling him, and Jennifer's undying scream.

_I know she likes me_, thought Michael, as the thing clawed at his chest, _but this is a bit over the top_. _Boy, does she need therapy._

Michael raised up his spear, and impaled the creature in the chest. Her bowels spilled out, and she fell limp on top of Michael. She pushed her off him, and he got up, that Dragoon warrior, covered in blood.

ooo

Jennifer was still crying, and everyone looked at her like she was crazy.

"Uhh, Jennifer…" began Taileia.

"!

MICHAEL'S DEAD!! WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA-"

"SHUT UP!" screamed Taileia, finally cracking. "He isn't dead!"

Jennifer opened her eyes, and saw Michael staring at her.

"Ooohh.." she said, in an embarrassed voice. "Good going, dude!"

"Team Four wins!" cried Taileia. The team made their way over to the stands, as Taileia called out the next team.

"Would Team Five enter the arena!" The Kanker sisters walked to the arena, and faced the gates.

"You know the drill. Pull up the gates!"

The gates were pulled up, and the first monster emerged.

It was a huge mantis-like creature, with metre long pincers, and wickedly curved fangs. It was black, and it's eyes were small and beady, a purple-black colour. Red patterns, like swirls and spots, covered it's body, and it kept making a strange hissing sound as it breathed.

"That's a Neo Mantis," explained Taileia, "renowned for it's poisonous pincers."

The second monster seemed to be a large eel, about three metres long. It's body was covered in scales, the colour of terracotta, and small spikes ran the entire length of it's back. It's lips were a sickly red colour, and it had no teeth. It's eyes were dark black, but shined brightly in the light. It would have been mistaken to be an easy kill when it suddenly burst into flames. It's body was now roaring with fire, and it's eyes were glowing a phosphorescent green.

"Volcanic Eels," said Taileia, "are known for erupting into flames without any warning."

The third monster, however, was the strangest. It was basically a jellyfish, sea green in skin colour, with hundreds of tentacles hanging suspended from it's underside, all crackling with electricity. What was strange, though, was the coral-red antenna sprouting from it's body, and the massive, unblinking eye which scanned the entire arena. Two tiny jagged pincers were on either side of it's mouth, which, as the creature breathed, had bubbles popping from it, like a constant jet.

"What you see here is a Bio Jellyfish," said Taileia, "which can shoot compressed beams of electricity from it's eye." Taileia, now stood, ready to address the arena.

"Let the brawl begin!"

"Brawl?" questioned Sarah.

"I thought I'd try something different," said Taileia, with a nonchalant shrug of her shoulders. The battle had now begun, with each sister choosing an opponent: Lee the Mantis, Marie the Eel, and May the Jellyfish.

Lee was the first to fight, taking a defensive position as she crossed her rods, because they now protected her body. With a hissing shriek, the Mantis lunged towards her, it's pincers outstretched. Lee agilely leapt to the right, the overgrown bug, hurtling into the ground where she had been moments before. It leapt around, jumping at her again. Lee pirouetted to the left, and the creature once again careened into the sandy surface. Lee was now standing to it's left. With all her might, she swung her right rod at the creatures side. It bounced off the creatures shell, and crashed right into her forehead! With a cry of pain, she collapsed on the ground, her hand covering the scarlet welt on her face.

"I-I c-can't harm it-t…" Lee gasped, quivering on the ground.

"Dance, Lee!" called Taileia from the stands. "DANCE!"

"Why would Big-Haired Lee girl wish to dance?" enquired Rolf.

"Because," explained Taileia, in an exasperated voice. "She's a Dancing Warrior. Her special ability is that she can do unique dances, like Rain Dance, Sun Dance, Fire Dance etc. She can use them to kill the Neo Mantis!"

Lee, having heard Taileia's advice, decided to try the Fire Dance. _But what do I do_? She thought. _I've not got the slightest clue_!

She stood up, and glanced at the earth below her. Then it hit her.

"That's it!" she cried. "I know what to do!"

She began the dance by stomping her feet, and then twirling and jumping. The dance was mainly made up of lot's of stomps, twists, and complicated hand gestures.

"What the hell is she doing?" muttered an incredulous Nazz.

Once again, Taileia had the answer.

"She's doing the Fire Dance. It causes flames to burst out of nowhere, and for lava to jet out of the ground. It's actually very complicated."

"If you ask me, it looks more like and energetic salsa…" muttered Michael sourly, who was currently having Jennifer covering him in bandages and lotions, fuelling his dull attitude.

As Lee danced, fires began to burst out of the ground, singing and burning the Mantis. Lee stomped her foot one final time, and a jet of lava soared out from the ground right underneath the Mantis. With a shriek of pain, the bug was hurtle into the sky, where it disappeared from sight. As the smoke cleared, Lee stood there, panting, her eyes glaring at the sky.

Marie was next, as she stood timidly at the far end of the arena. She clearly wanted to destroy the Volcanic Eel (who was slowly advancing towards her) but she didn't know what to do. All she had was a harp, and she couldn't even play an instrument! The Eel was slithering towards, the ground scorching under the heat. It's phosphorescent green eyes were focused solely on her.

"Uh…nice Eel?" asked a quivering Marie, as she slowly walked towards the beast, harp at the ready. The Eel reared up, as if to strike her. Marie plucked a few strings on her harp, wondering what the consequence would be. A small puddle of water surfaced around the Eel, dousing it's fire. It roared, and became aflame again, the puddle vaporising. Marie plucked a few more strings, but this time with more skill. She plucked string after string, until she finally began to play a tune. It was like a gentle serenade, and the air seemed to grow wetter. Suddenly, a bubble of water encircled the Eel, and it was doused for good. It froze and cracked, and was no more.

"Wow!" exclaimed a surprised Marie. "That was easy!"

Now it was May versus the Bio Jellyfish. She took a fighting stance, her left arm and leg outstretched. She motioned with her fingers for the beast to come to her. It crackled with energy, and slithered towards her. A bright beam of energy shot from it's eye, aimed for May! She ducked and rolled to the right, and the laser-beam shot over her head.

"Use the mirror!" cried Taileia from the stands.

_What mirror_? Thought May, as she looked inside her trench coat. To her great surprise, a brown bag, quite similar to Taileia's, was slung over her body, hidden by the coat.

"Why the heck didn't I feel it before?" she remarked, as she rooted inside the satchel. There was books, pens, pencils, notebooks etc…Everything a scholar could wish for. And inside a small leather bag was a slender rectangular mirror, just like Taileia had said. She pulled it out, and positioned it in front of her head. Another laser-beam shot from the creature's eye. But this time, it bounced off the mirror and shot straight back at the monster. With a hellish screech of pain, the creature crumbled into dust.

"Team Five is victorious!" cried Taileia. "And now, Team Six! Follow me to the arena!"

Taileia, followed by Jonny and Jennifer, walked into the arena.

"Raise the gates!" commanded Taileia. The gates were raised, and the first fiend emerged.

To say that this monster was tough was an understatement. It was armoured in a suit of heavy black steel, with a crown of sharpened iron and gauntlets, boots and sword, mace and shield fashioned of the toughest metals. A long cloak, black as night, fell from its neck, and it growled as it faced it's foes.

"That," said Taileia, in a nervous tone, "is a Titan Overlord, one of the toughest monsters you can currently face. I think I'll be fighting it. This guy's way too tough for you."

The second beast crawled into the sunlight, much different from the first. It stood on all fours, and it had a heavily armoured back. It's head was short and stubby, with no neck, and there was one wickedly curved horn in the centre of it's head. It's tail was long, and had a lethally spiked ball on the end of it.

"Metahemoth," said Taileia. "It's tail can decapitate you, so watch out."

"What does decapitate mean?" asked a curious Jonny. Jennifer whispered something in his ear.

"Oh man! That's gross!"

"Sure is, so be careful," warned Taileia. Suddenly, the final beast emerged.

It wasn't really cool or scary in any way; it was just a plain black silhouette, that seemed to glide across the ground.

Taileia said; "That's a Mimic. It can copy it's foes attacks and abilities."

"Now," she said, "let the fight-"

"WAAAAIIIIT!" screamed Jennifer.

"Oh my Chaos, what the hell is it!?" screamed Taileia back.

"I don't have a weapon!"

"That's absurd. Lealelle must have gave you one."

"Oops," said a small, bell-like voice. "I think I, like, forgot. Sorry!"

Golden dust swirled around Jennifer's right hand, and with a poof of smoke, a Summoning staff magically appeared in it. It was fashioned of smooth, coffee-brown pine, with a hole at the top. Beads and streamers, adorned with precious jewels and stones, criss-crossed it, forming what seemed to be a net. Indeed, it was quite like a bug net.

"Bye!" called the invisible Lealelle. Taileia groaned in relief.

"Let the match begin!"

Taileia and the Titan Overlord moved first, circling each other. Up in the stands, Eddy tingled with glee. He thought Taileia was a bit too strict. But she would get it now!

Down in the arena, they still circled each other. The Overlord growled.

"What was that?" questioned Taileia. "A whimper from a coward? Yep, I think I'm right. Bawk-bawk! Chicken!" The fiend roared, and ran at Taileia, it's left arm outstretched. Taileia leapt up, into the sky, as the beast's fist slammed into the wall. Taileia landed on it, and reached into her bag. She pulled out a book, identical to May's, and snapped it open:

"Holy Flames! Rage of Firus!"(1)

Suddenly, towering flames burst out of the ground! Taileia leapt onto the wall above her, as the flames ignited the Overlord! He creamed in rage and agony, his hands shaking either side of him. Taileia recited another inacantation:

"Holy Winds! Curse of Aria!" (2)

A ball of wind formed before her, and hurtled at the Overlord. The fires were blow down, and he was careened into the centre of the arena, where he lay crumpled in a heap on the dusty ground. Taileia jumped down and walked over to him. She opened her Tome, and glared at him. However, the Overlord leapt back up, and pressed his hands together. A wave of shadow crashed into Taileia, crushing her against the ground. She squirmed and struggled against the shadows, as stopping her breathing! She pushed the shadow away with her arms, and it surged upwards. She scrambled swiftly away, before it came crashing to the ground. She glared at him again.

"Now we end this," and she said a final incantation:

"Holy Bolt! Honour of Thudos!" (3)

The sky grew dark; thunder clapped, and storm clouds rolled in. Suddenly, out of nowhere, a huge bolt of golden lightning came, cascading through the air, striking the Overlord dead on! Before he could utter a single sound, he vanished in a shower of dust.

Jonny stood watching the Metahemoth. The beast growled, and charged at him. Jonny quickly spun out of the way, and jabbed his spear at the Metahemoth's side. It pricked the skin, and the creature swung it's tail at Jonny. The Dragoon leapt up, and brought his spear stabbing into the monster's back. It locked itself in, and the Metahemoth bucked and bounced, causing Jonny to play a game of buckaroo. He held on to the spear for dear life, digging it further into the creature's back. The Metahemoth roared, and a jet of blood spurted out of it's mouth. It fell done limp, and it's body shattered like glass. Jonny stood up, dusted himself down, and turned to look at Plank, who was tied safely to his back.

"Boy, that was close, buddy!"

ooo

Darkness…Silence…Sand…

The Mimic was slowly drifting under the surface, gliding like a shadow. The Mimic looked almost ethereal, like an Angel of Darkness. It craned it's head upwards, and saw Jennifer, standing all alone in the arena. (An: I forgot to write that after their battle, each fighter exit's the main arena.) The Mimic slowly drifted upwards, towards Jennifer's shadow…

ooo

Jennifer was looking around the Arena, searching for the Mimic. Unbeknownst to her, the Mimic had dominated her shadow; it looked just like the Mimic! Slowly, a black hand, that seemed to be formed of shadow, reached out of the ground, and wrapped around Jennifer's right ankle. Before she had time to cry out, Jennifer was dragged underneath the ground…

ooo

"WOOAH!" cried Michael, shooting upright in his seat.

"Jennifer!" cried Elle, frantically looking around for her big sister. "Where's she gone?!" she demanded, turning to Taileia.

"I've told you," said the Scholar. "The Mimic can copy it's target's abilities, but to do that, it has to make itself like their form."

"But…" said Edd. Then suddenly he stopped. "You don't mean…"

"What?" asked Elle. Abruptly, a squeal came form the arena, and everyone turned to it.

Moments before, Jennifer had come flying out of her shadow, landing on her backside a few feet away, the source of her squeal. However, everyone, including Jennifer, turned to her shadow.

ooo

A figure was slowly crawling out of the shadow, emerging like a demon. When it was finally out, everyone gasped in shock.

The Mimic was now an exact clone of Jennifer, except for one thing; it's colours. It's skin was a pale grey, and it's hair and dress were dark, smouldering purple. It's shoes and iris' were bright amber orange, and it's staff was pale, limey green. The Mimic looked at the surprised Jennifer, a smug grin on it's face.

"Your friends might have defeated their foe's, but can you defeat…"

The Mimic got into a fighting stance.

"…yourself?!"

And it lunged for her…

ooo

Jennifer quickly raised up her staff, covering her torso with it. The Mimic slammed into her, and she was sent flying backwards! Somehow, she landed on her feet, and skidded to a halt.

"Oh yeah?!" she cried. "Well, try this on for size!"

A mysterious aura seemed to fill the arena, and icy wind blew in the air. Jennifer's hand were pressed together, and an icy white light surrounded them.

"What's she doing?" cried out Kevin.

"A Summoning spell," said Taileia, who was now really excited. "Watch!"

Jennifer opened her mouth, and the spell began:

"**Queen of the snow-bound plains!**

**Guardian of the frozen worlds!**

**I call on you to aide me your eternal power!**

**Come forth, Shiva! Aeon of Ice!"**

Icy wind blasted into the arena, which was now covered in a layer of snow, and a figure materialised before Jennifer. It was a tall, stately woman, with flowing blue hair and skin the colour of ice. Her dress was sleeveless, the colour of her hair, covered by a cobalt blue robe. Sparkles of ice floated in her hair.

"Shiva!" commanded Jennifer. "Attack the Mimic!"

Shiva raced towards the Mimic, when Jennifer called out a final command.

"**Diamond Dust**!"

A blizzard surrounded Shiva, and she hurtled herself at the Mimic. They both disappeared in a flash of white light, and an ugly cracking sound was heard.

"Team Six is victorious!" called Taileia, and everyone raced into the arena. They were about to congratulate each other, when Ed looked up at the sky.

"Hey guys! Look!"

Everyone turned to the sky, and gasped.

A vortex, like the one that had transported the kids, had opened up in the now stormy sky. Something dropped out of it, and was hurtling to the earth!

"That's a human!" cried Taileia. "Jimmy, quick! Create an air cushion!"

Jimmy did so, creating a ball of air that would cushion the person. Whoever it was landed to earth, and a huge dust cloud spiralled up into the air. When it cleared, the figure was visible. The cul-de-sac kids gaped, gasped or fainted in shock at who it was.

It was a tall, athletic looking girl, about 12 years old; the same age as most of the kids. Her hair, rich mahogany-brown, fell to her armpits. She wore a sleeveless tank top, lava-red in colour, with two straps over her shoulders. Her skirt was denim, and midnight-black, and it fell to just above her knees. Her boots were heelless, the colour of her skirt, and they were covered in straps: they also went up to her knees. A black belt was around her waist; in it were guns and knives of all kinds. A beige rucksack was on her back, and in both her hands were two strangely shaped knives. The handles were fine, but the serrated blades were bent at a diagonal angle, making them look like boomerang shaped knives. The girls eyelids fluttered open, showing her iris' to be sapphire blue in colour. She groggily sat up, rubbing her forehead.

"Oooh…Where am I?"

She looked around, and saw the cul-de-sac kids. They all stared at each other.

"…Guys?" said the girl in a slow, surprised voice.

"…Lindsay?"

ooo

AN: What a surprising ending! Betcha didn't see that coming, eh? If you've read my Resident Ed story, then you'll know who Lindsay is. Alright, so the next chapter will focus on Lindsay, and how she got to Areth, so stay tuned!


	6. Chapter 6: Lindsay's Journey

AN: So this chapter will focus on Lindsay's journey to Areth. Also, her knives look like Alice's from Resident Evil: Extinction. And I forgot to mention last time: The symbols for Taileia translate back into English, so I'll just not bother.

Chapter Six: Lindsay's Journey

"Oh, God," said 12 year old Lindsay Oakham. She was a tall, athletic girl, and a resident of the cul-de-sac. Her hair, rich mahogany-brown, fell to her armpits. She wore a sleeveless tank top, lava-red in colour, with two straps over her shoulders. Her skirt was denim, and midnight-black, and it fell to just above her knees. Her boots were heelless, the colour of her skirt, and they were covered in straps: they also went up to her knees. "It's freezing."

It was freezing indeed. An unnaturally cold air had settled over the cul-de-sac, bringing warnings of snow, which was freakish for a day in the middle of July. Grey clouds were barely visible in the sky, for a thick fog was steadily descending onto the cul-de-sac. Everything seemed to merge into white; you couldn't see five feet in front of you!

Lindsay slowly continued walking. It had been a boring day. It was 1 p.m. and her friends had vanished. She took another step forward, when something snapped behind her. She instantly ducked down, and not a moment too soon; something black and screeching flew over her. A distance away, something rat-a-tat-tatted; Lindsay recognised it as machine gun fire. By now, the mist had properly descended, and Lindsay could barely see her hand. However, she swiftly crawled forward, until she reached a park bench. Lindsay quickly shuffled behind it, and gathered her thoughts: her friends were missing, and someone was shooting about the cul-de-sac. Lindsay tried to work out a strategy.

"Well, I could just run to my house," she murmured to her self, "but I can't see anything in this mist!" She groaned, and turned to face the bench. Her eyes met a slight indention in the woodwork. She almost instantly jumped for joy; this cracked bench was directly in front of her house! However, her house was on the other side of the street, and Lindsay would have to run for it. She thought about the outcome, and decided to risk it all. She quietly stood up, and counted in her head.

_3_..._2_..._1...GO_!!

Lindsay ran onto the road, and instantly felt some sort of presence behind her. She craned her neck, and almost froze in alarm. Some sort of huge Black Beetle was chasing after her! It was about a metre long, black in colour, with large pointed wings and a huge spike on it's forehead. It had ten black, beady eyes, all focused on Lindsay. It was scurrying along the ground, making some kind of clicking sound. Now, Lindsay was a brave person, but everyone has a phobia of some kind.

Lindsay was afraid of bugs.

Especially beetles.

Lindsay ran full pelt to her house, the huge Black Beetle scurrying after her. Miraculously, Lindsay reached her house. She quickly opened the door, and stepped inside. She slammed the door behind her, and locked all three of it's locks. She pressed herself against it, when…

BAMM!

The Black Beetle slammed against the door, and Lindsay was sent hurtling into the hall. She quickly grabbed a black umbrella out of the stand, and got into a fighting pose. The Black Beetle slammed once again against the door, and the entire house shook on it's foundations. Lindsay grimaced.

"I'm ready for you!"

The banging stopped, and Lindsay heard the Black Beetle scurrying away. Wasting no time, she quickly ran to a door underneath the staircase. Punching a code into a little machine by the door, it opened, and Lindsay ran down a short flight of stairs. She was now in the safe room. It was really the cellar, but her late father had converted it into a safe and weapons room. Lindsay briskly walked over to a wall, and punched yet another code into another machine. The wall opened up, and Lindsay stepped back to admire the room.

The walls were covered in guns, knives and weapons of every single kind. Underneath each weapon were packages of ammo for it, plus manuals on how to use it. First of all, Lindsay ran to the back of the room, and selected a plain beige rucksack. She walked over to a steel cabinet, and pulled it open. Inside was food, fluids and medicines. Lindsay selected a fair amount of each, and stuffed them into the bottom of the bag. She pulled a brown leather belt, with may pockets and holsters, off the wall, and she wrapped it around her waist. She walked over to the weapon wall, and surveyed each weapon. After a few minutes, she ended up selecting:

A **Magnum**.

A **Handgun**.

A **Sniper Rifle**.

A **Shotgun**.

A** Rifle**.

Two **Pistols**.

An **AK-47**.

Ten **Pocket Grenades**.

And a dozen **Knives** and **Daggers**.

Lindsay selected ammo for each weapon (that needed it) and stuffed it into her rucksack. She put the **Handgun**, **Shotgun**, **AK-47**, **Pocket Grenades **and the **Magnum **into the holsters. She put the **Pistols** into two holsters, one on the outer side of each leg,and tied the **Rifle** and** Shotgun **onto her bag. She took the knives, and put eight back. She attached the rest to her belt. She was about to leave, when she noticed two knives on the wall. She went to examine them, and instantly filled with glee How could she forget these?!

The two knives were very strangely shaped; the handles, made of brown painted steel, had grooves for the fingers. The serrated, stainless silver steel blades weren't straight; they were about seven inches long, and jutted out at a diagonal angle. They were like boomerang-shaped knives! Lindsay was about to place them into two belt holsters, on either side of her waist, when she stopped to think; if she was going out into the open, with gunmen and freakishly large beetles, shouldn't she have mandatory hold of a weapon? Lindsay decided to keep a hold on the knives. She walked out of the room, up the stairs, locking the doors behind her, and paused in front of the front door. She took a deep breath. She had prepared for things like this all her life; Judo, Karate, Capoeira, Tai-Kwon-Do…The list of Martial Arts she practised was endless. Gathering her courage, Lindsay unlocked the door, and stepped outside into the endless mist…

ooo

Unbeknownst to Lindsay, two figures were watching her from the top of Edd and Zoe's house. One of the figures was Faith; the other was a stranger. It was a tall, muscular male. He wore a deep green hooded cloak that covered nearly all of his body; only his left torso and leg were visible. Underneath the cloak, he wore a leathery brown jumpsuit. His hair was completely covered by the hood; only a few black strands jutted out. A bizarre, bird shaped mask covered the top half of his face, with a beak where his nose was. His eyes glowed a crimson red, but the scariest part was his right arm. It was a huge, scaly black Dragon's arm, stitched on to his body. His name was Night, and he was a successful experiment of Project COMBINE.

(Cue rather long explanation. Skip if you want; it's not important, but it's good information.)

On Aridia, the Western continent of Gaia, the leading company was the multi-billion Gill foundation; the Aredos Corporation. The current President, Alexander Aredos, was a good honest man. The AC was a good company, helping charity. However, completely hidden from Alexander and the general public, several unsavoury things went on in the company. Particularly in the Science Department.

Around fifteen years ago, Faith had become an employee of the AC's Science Department, under the alias of a Miss Emellia Forenht. She had swiftly risen up to Chairman of the Department's Experiment Section. Then the troubles began.

Faith had the scientists conduct hundreds of horrifying experiments, all for the gain of the Underworld. The latest, Project COMBINE, was the most sickening yet.

The scientists took ordinary humans, Aquanos', Magmaro's etc. and chopped off limbs, organs; anything Faith wanted. Soon, they had things like an Aquanos with a human head. A Magmoro with a Blockas torso. And, in Night's case, a human with a Dragon arm.

Night was one of the more successful experiments. After the experiment, he underwent years of rigorous training, all in a bid to become a perfect warrior. However, Night was not an evil person; instead, Faith controlled his body with a computer program inserted into his neck. Mentally, he desperately hated Evil. Physically, he was Faith's slave.

(End explanation.)

"So, you're completely sure of your assignment?" asked Faith.

"Yes, Mistress," answered Night in a flat, monotone voice.

Faith and Night could see completely through the mist. They saw Lindsay emerging from her house. A swarm of Black Beetles and Hover Droids were hidden in the forest.

"Good," said Faith. "Remember, kill her. **She must not get to Gaia**."

"Affirmative. The target will be annihilated." Night jumped off the roof, and into the mist…

ooo

Lindsay slowly crept through the mist, her body ready to fight. Suddenly, a scuttling sound came before her, and six Black Beetles emerged out of the mist. Lindsay quickly remembered all her training. This was it.

She ran up to the first Black Beetle, and jumped on to it's shell. She leapt forward, and slashed off the closest bug's horn. It screeched in pain, and Lindsay drove the right knife into the open wound. A popping sound was heard, and the beast fell down, dark mauve blood oozing out of the wound. One down, five to go.

She spun on her heels, facing the back of the Beetle she had used as a jumping mat. She pulled off it's wings, and slashed it's back. The beast collapsed. Two down, four to go.

Lindsay somersaulted high up in to the air. She grabbed onto a lamppost, and swung her self onto it. She got into a crouching position, and grabbed the **Rifle **off of her backpack. She loaded it, and took aim at one of the Black Beetles. She squeezed the trigger, and the force of the bullet's velocity almost shook her off the lamp. The bullet ripped through the air, slamming into the head of it's target. The creature shrieked, and collapsed onto the ground. Three down, three to go.

Lindsay vaulted off the streetlight, landing on the back of another beetle. With a well-aimed kick at the base of the skull, Lindsay almost brought it down. The overgrown insect reared upwards, and Lindsay was tossed off it's back. She landed on the ground with a _thump_; however, she used her speed to do a backwards roll, now standing straight on her feet. She took out the **Pistols**, aimed at the bug, and fired. She ran up to it, and leapt over it, shooting down at it. The beast screeched, and attempted to reach up and grab Lindsay. She was too quick, however, and she fired a bullet at the head. It lodged itself firmly in the Black Beetles cranium, and it died instantly. Four down, two to go.

Lindsay ran across to the other two beetles, zipping around them like a beam of light. She finally stopped between both of them. The Black Beetles turned to face her, and opened their mouths, revealing rows of tiny sharp teeth, coated in saliva. They lunged for her, but Lindsay was too quick. She somersaulted backwards, and the two Beetles charged right into to each other. They both clawed and bitted each other, thinking that the other Beetle was the enemy, until they both killed each other. K.O.!

Lindsay was about to run into the nearby woods, when a whirring sound came from the mist. Suddenly, a hovering machine flew out of the mist! It's main body was a spherical shape, with an oval shaped head hovering a few centimetres above it. Blue light emitted from the bottom of the robot's body, somehow keeping it afloat. Two long semi-circle arms hovered closely to the robots body. A blue column of energy, similar to the light, connected the robot's body. On the robots head was a black screen; two electric blue eyes, and a single line, supposedly representing a mouth, were on this screen. The machines eyes were slanted, as it glared at Lindsay.

"O.K…" she said, slowly drawing a grenade from a holster. "Nice A.I…"

The robot, a Hover Droid, made a beeping noise. A stainless metal rod, about 20 cm. long and 10 cm. thick, emerged from the tip of each of it's arms, and a small hole opened at the tip of each rod. The H. Droid stood stock still, and 5 more emerged from the fog! They were identical to the H. Droid, and they formed a circle around Lindsay, who was slowly putting the grenade away. They all seemed to stare at her. At first they didn't move, but Lindsay soon saw a strange green light emitting from the tip of the rods. Lindsay was confused, when something snapped inside her mind. She ran between two of the creatures, and not a moment too soon.

Concentrated beams of neon green plasma erupted from the rods, blasting at the spot where Lindsay had once been. The plasma beams combined to form some sort of huge sphere of energy. Lindsay ran about ten metres in three seconds, and quickly threw herself down onto the tarmac of the road, curling into a foetal position. A second later, the plasma orb erupted, incinerating the Hover Droids. A huge cloud of thick, black smoke shot upwards, forming a huge mushroom cloud. Smoking debris and robot parts hurtled downwards from the air, and onto the ground. Lindsay stayed in her position for a few minutes, shaking like a leaf on a massage chair. She finally stopped, and slowly got up off the ground. Abruptly, a voice said inside her head;

_You will die…Just like your pathetic friends…_

Lindsay growled and screamed in rage.

"WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO MY FRIENDS?!"

_Follow me…To the woods…_

Lindsay ran off the moment the voice mentioned woods. Suddenly, a figure materialised where she had been standing a moment before. It was Faith, a sickeningly smug smile on her face.

"Yes, Lindsay…" She said, in a dark, mysterious tone. "Run to the woods…Run to Night…Run to your death…"

Faith looked onto the ground. Then she suddenly threw up her head;

"HAAHHHAAAHHHAAA!"

ooo

Lindsay was now standing at the border of the local woods. Somehow, there was no mist here. The tall pine trees were clustered together, throwing oddly shaped shadows across the ground, a carpet of grass and plants. The queer thing was that there was no light to cast the shadows. Lindsay slowly walked through the forest, which was silent for once. There were no animals in sight, and the smell emitting from the flowers was abnormally sweet; an almost sickening stench. The tree's were topped with leaves the colours of dark emeralds, and the faint swoosh of water, coming from the Creek, was faint in the background. Lindsay's face was grim, as she traversed over the muddy ground, searching for the owner of that mysterious voice. After about half an hour, Lindsay reached a large clearing. There was only grass here, and a huge, twisted oak tree at the northern end of the clearing. Standing tall, on the highest branch of this tree, was Night.

"So," he began, in a disgusted voice, "the fool has finally come to her death."

"Shut up," said Lindsay, in a no-nonsense voice. "If you don't tell me what you've done to my friends, I'll brain you and then smash your body into a liquid pulp."

"My, my, Lindsay. What a vicious mind you have."

"Oh, you've not seen nothing yet."

With a furious cry, Lindsay ran up to Night. She leapt up, and tried to slash off Night's head. He raised up his Dragon arm, and Lindsay's knives bounced right off it. She froze in shock for a moment, at the sight of this grotesque monstrosity, but quickly regained herself. She kicked of his arm, and landed a few metres away. She ran up to him again, and stabbed his arm. Night gritted his teeth in discomfort, before sending Lindsay hurtling into a tall ash. She cried out in pain as her back connected with the tree, and she fell in a heap on the grass. She lay there, whimpering, while trying to get up. Night took his human arm, and placed it over the stab wound. Dark purple fire glowed, magically healing the wound. Night turned to Lindsay, and muttered a dark incantation. Suddenly, a sphere of translucent blue energy surrounded Lindsay. She stood upright, and looked around her prison, bewilderment across her face. Somehow, Night stuck his face inside the sphere.

"Do you like noise? I hope you do…"

Abruptly, Night opened his mouth, and screamed into the sphere. This scream, however, was one of pure sound. The scream resonated around the energy orb, the force causing Lindsay to be pushed into the middle. Her mouth was opened in a scream of pure agony, but no sound came from it. Then Night pulled out of the sphere; it shattered, and Lindsay flopped onto the ground, a stream of blood trickling from her ears.

Night then walked over to Lindsay, and, wrapping his human hand around her neck, hoisted her up. Lindsay gagged, her hands tugging at his. Night smirked.

"It looks like the end for you, Lindsay. But don't worry. I'll make this nice and slow. You won't even realise that you're dead."

Night tightened his grip, and Lindsay's head swam. Her lungs and heart were screaming out for oxygen that they would never get, but Lindsay was no quitter. She remembered a dream she once had, when she was younger. It seemed so far away…

ooo

_A young Lindsay was walking through a woodland meadow. She was about seven years old. Her hair was in a long ponytail_, _and she wore a simple white summer dress_, _with a strawberry red cardigan. Her shoes were bright red as well_, _with buckles. Blue skies hung overhead_, _and the wood gleamed with life. Young Lindsay reached a large patch of flowers_, _and saw a girl sitting there._

_The girl was about eleven years old. Her light blonde hair fell just below her shoulder blades_,_ and the fringe curved around her face. Her dress was cream white_,_ with frilly edges. It fell halfway between her waist and knees_,_ and there were two straps over her shoulders_,_ holding it up. Her crystal blue eyes were focused on some sort of jewel that she held in her hands. Even though she appeared only a few years older than Lindsay_, _something told her that this girl wasn_'_t what she appeared. The stranger looked up_,_ and saw Lindsay at the border of the flower patch. She smiled a warm_, _radiant smile_, _and the world suddenly seemed to fill up with sunshine_, _happiness_, _warmth…It was the most beautiful thing Lindsay had ever experienced_, _even if it was only just a dream._

"_Hello_, _Lindsay._" _The stranger spoke for the first time_, _and even her voice seemed to be filled with love and happiness. _"_I have been expecting you_,_ for some time now._"

"_I'm sorry_,"_ murmured Lindsay, who was looking at the ground, in an awkward voice._

"_Don_'_t be silly_! _I knew that you would come when you were ready_, _which is now_, _I suppose. Come here._"

_Lindsay walked over to the girl_, _and sat down next to her. She saw that the jewel was a crystal_, _dark vibrant red and smooth neon pink in colour. _

"_See this jewel_?" _said the girl. _"_It_'s _very special. When the true time comes_, _this jewel will go to you. It will help you to complete your destiny._"

"_What destiny_?" _asked Young Lindsay_, _who wasn't sure what the word meant herself._

_The dream had finished then_, _but this time it continued. The girl smiled at Lindsay._

"_You know now_."

_Lindsay looked down at herself_, _and saw that she was twelve years old. The girl_,_ however_, _was exactly the same_, _except that the crystal was now glowing. The girl looked at Lindsay._

"_Do you know_?"

_And Lindsay_,_ event though she didn't have the slightest clue as to what the girl was talking about_, _said one thing._

"_**Yes**_."

_And Lindsay was enveloped by a bright red beacon of light…_

ooo

Lindsay was back in the grasp of Night. But she wasn't frightened. Lindsay was now having no trouble breathing. She closed her eyes, and let her mind wander…

Soon she saw a vision; it was exactly what was happening right now. Lindsay concentrated, and a sphere of pink light surrounded both her and Night. Lindsay opened her eyes, and saw the sphere was still there. Night was looking confused, but Lindsay just smirked.

"Have you ever played with fire, Night?"

And Lindsay and the sphere burst into flames. Night instantly screamed, a deep furious snarl, and let go of Lindsay, whose entire body had combusted into flames. Night's robe had caught fire, and he swatted it with his human arm. However, the sleeve of that caught fire as well, and soon Night's body was covered in fire. Lindsay was slowly making the sphere grow larger.

"If you can't stand the heat, then get out of the kitchen!" she cried.

"Damn you to the Underworld, you inferior nuisance!" screamed Night back at her.

"Oh no you didn't!" called Lindsay, as she raised her arms above her head, and started waving them about in a clockwise circular motion. The fire ball was no very large, and started to twist into a tornado. Fire swung around at impossible speeds, and the local woodland was consumed up by the fire vortex, like a hungry beast. The fire had become an inferno!

Night was carried by the vortex, up, up into the air. He screamed, as he was thrown out of the storm, and into the creek. Steam rose into the air, and Night screamed as the water poured threw his veins.

Lindsay lowered her arms, and the blaze stopped; she, however, was still aflame. She closed her eyes, and the fire calmed down. Her body was now completely healed, a result of **Holy Flame**. She drew out her knives, and turned to face Night. He had crawled out of the river, and Lindsay cringed in disgust at his form.

Night's robe was tattered and covered in mud and water. The same went for his jumpsuit. His body was covered in horrifying red burns, many weeping blood. Parts of his hair had fallen off, revealing more burns on his wounded scalp. His breathing was weak and raspy, as if he would collapse at any second. Lindsay ran over to help him, but he outstretched his human arm, and Lindsay slammed into a tall ash.

"Don't…don't touch me…you…you pyromaniac…" Night's voice was raspy and broken, like a snake's. Somehow, he stood up, and fell against a tall sycamore. He cried out in pain, and fell to the ground. He slunk into the shadows, and disappeared. Lindsay managed to get up, her legs wobbly, and steadied herself against the tree. Suddenly, something black shot out of the ground. It was Night, but he looked perfect. He smirked at an astounded Lindsay.

"Shadow Magic is very powerful," he explained, "but now I've used all mine up. So I will be departing from your company. But next time we meet, you are dead."

Night turned around, and slashed his Dragon arm through the air. Some sort of hole opened up, and Night stepped through it, out of sight. The rip began to shrink, and Lindsay panicked. She ran up to it, and stepped through it…

ooo

Lindsay was flying. Flying like an angel. Her eyes were closed. She felt like her body was formed of pure happiness. Air whooshed around her, as if she was in some sort of very long, very wide tunnel. Even with her eyes closed, Lindsay felt the light grow brighter and brighter, and then she blacked out…

ooo

In the sky of Gaia, directly above Areth, a Time and Space portal opened up. Out of this fell Lindsay. If she had been awake she would have found out several things. First of all, she had travelled through the Time/Space Continuum unprotected, an incredibly dangerous thing to do. Secondly, she would have seen a panoramic view of the centre of the Kingdom of Areth. The city lay below her, a grey metropolis. The castle was by far the largest building in Gaia's official largest and most populated city. It's towers ascended high into the sky, and the surrounding Royal Gardens were beautiful in the noon sunlight. Farmland and fields were all around, with more settlements. On the southern, eastern and western horizon were forests, and on the northern horizon was tall snow-capped mountains. Miles to the south and west, two rivers flowed; the western River Areth, and the southern River Aretha. Lindsay was careening to earth at a breakneck speed. She heard someone call out below her;

"That's a human! Jimmy, quick! Create an air cushion!"

The sleeping Lindsay reached the ground, where she crashed into the air cushion. A huge dust cloud spiralled into the air, and Lindsay lay unconscious. After about half a minute, she groggily awoke, sat up, and rubbed her forehead,

"Oooh…Where am I?"

She looked around, and saw that she was in some sort of arena. She then saw a group of odd-looking people looking at her. Their clothes didn't matter. Their faces did. With a shock, Lindsay realised that it was her friends.

"…Guys?" her voice was incredulous.

"…Lindsay?"

ooo

AN: Next chapter up soon. However, I'll update Resident Ed before this, so keep an eye out.


	7. Chapter 7: The Assault on the AS Areth!

AN: So in this chapter, the kids finally leave to begin their search for the Crystals!

Chapter Seven: The Assault on the _AS Areth_!

It was dusk on the planet of Gaia. The tired sun, huge and blazing red, was slowly sinking into the horizon, casting a warm, happy glow over the Kingdom of Areth. The western sky, surrounding the sun, was many hues of dusky pink, flaming red, and calm orange. The eastern sky was already darker, a deep blue twilight ascending onto Gaia. In the evening light, a young trio were resting on the eighth floor of Castle Areth. The trio comprised of Jimmy, Sarah and Elle. After the training battles, and Lindsay's surprise entrance, the older kids had been asked by King Edward to discuss "plans of action" with him.

The room they were in was large and spacious, but it had a cosy aura to it. The door to the room was on the eastern wall; a large stone fireplace, beautifully crafted, was on the southern wall. Several wooden bookcases, made from mahogany and oak, were on the northern wall, and a huge window was on the western wall, letting the golden evening light illuminate the room. In the centre of the room was a raised area. There were three large couches on this area, all facing the window. On the northern couch was Elle, who was sitting with her knees pulled up to her, a thick cotton blanket draped over them, with an old-looking book in her hand. On the right couch, the furthest away from the window, lay a sleeping Sarah. A thick viridian blanket, fashioned from soft, silky wool, covered her body, except for her head, shoulders and feet. Jimmy was in the couch opposite of Elle's, where he sat sketching a drawing of some sort.

"What're you drawing?" questioned Elle, looking up from her book.

"Oh, n-nothing…" stammered Jimmy, trying to hide his sketch pad under his cloak.

"C'mon, let me see," said Elle, as she got up off the couch.

"I'd rather not-" began Jimmy, but Elle had already snatched the pad out of his hand. When she saw the drawing, her lips began to quiver.

"Aww!" she cooed. "Jimmy! That is so sweet!"

Jimmy had drawn an elaborate sketch of the sleeping Sarah. It was almost exactly the same as the real thing.

"Here you go," said Elle, and she handed the pad back to Jimmy.

"Thank you," said Jimmy, as he hastily put the pad in a small leather satchel, placed by his feet. "I'm going to go down to the kitchens, and get a bite to eat."

"Okay," said Elle cheerfully. She lowered her voice. "Don't worry. I won't tell."

Jimmy nodded, and rushed out the room. Elle sighed, and went back to her couch. She picked up her book again, but she quickly got bored. She went over to one of the bookcases, and put it back. She then noticed a thick, leather-bound tome where her left hand was. Curiosity coming over her, Elle carefully took the tome out, and blew a fine layer of dust off it's cover. Unlike May or Taileia's tome, this one was very simple, with no writing or drawings on the cover. Elle took the tome back to her couch, and sat down. She opened it up at the front page. At the top were five neatly written words, written in black ink:

_To whom it may concern._

Elle flipped the page again, and came across three large words written in the same handwriting.

_The Magi's Tome._

Elle looked at the fifth page, and she began to read.

ooo

_Gaia is a planet steeped in history. Many peoples have lived and flourished on this world, adding their own part to the fabric of history. I am of the Arcanian time. My name is Erica. I have the gift, curse, and burden of prophesy. This book is enchanted. No matter what, it will survive and find it's way into the hand of a Chosen One. Time is running out. Elphetia, Guardian of Souls, shall soon come for me. But I embrace Death. In this book, you shall find secrets and spells, that will aid you on your quest. _

ooo

Elle continued to read for a good half-hour. She only stopped when she noticed Sarah stirring. She glanced up from her book, and saw Sarah yawning and stretching her arms. Sarah glanced sleepily at Elle, smacking her lips.

"Ahhhh…How long was I out?" she yawned sleepily.

"About an hour and a half," replied Elle.

"Okay," she answered. Then she paused. "Where's Jimmy?"

"Oh. He down in the kitchen. In fact, I was thinking of going to look for him and the others.""Right," replied Sarah, as Elle got off of her couch, and walked towards the door. She walked out of the room, when, a few seconds later, her face popped from around the door frame.

"By the way," she said, "could you get that book for me? Thanks!"

Sarah groaned, and got off her couch. She walked over to Elle's sofa, and picked up the tome. Out of curiosity, she looked at the pages. Her eyes widened. The writing was not in English; not one bit of it. It was all in some strange, wavy kind of writing, which looked strangely familiar to Sarah. She raked her mind for an answer, when it hit her. It was the same writing in Taileia's tome! Sarah chuckled to herself.

"How could Elle read this?"

ooo

"There you are!" cried Elle. "I've been looking for you guys for, like, half an hour!"

In one of Castle Areth's many corridors, Elle, Sarah and Jimmy, whom they had collected from the kitchen, had finally managed to locate the rest of the kids.

"Lindsay!" called Sarah. "How are you?""I'm fine," replied Lindsay weakly, with a tired grin. "I'm just a bit tired."

"Taileia explained that because Lindsay had travelled, unprotected, through the Time and Space Vortex, that she would be sapped of all her energy, at least for a little while," explained Edd. "Anyway, what have you been up to?"

"Nothing much," answered all three of them.

"That's good," said Kevin. "Least you've been staying outta trouble."

"What have you all been doing?" asked Sarah.

"Well," said Eddy, "we've been talkin' with that King dude.""About what?" inquired Sarah.

"It goes somethin' like this…"

ooo

_Flashback…_

"So, your highness," said a nervous Edd to Edward, King of Areth. "I believe you wished to converse with us?"

"You are correct," said King Edward. His face was stern, but his voice was calm and logical. "But I wish that the prophecy could have foretold a better time for our world…"

"Huh?" asked a confused Kevin.

"The prophecy," began the King," claimed that the Chosen Ones-that's all of you-would come to Gaia in a time of great need. However, Erica promised that all twenty Chose-"

"Wait," exclaimed Lindsay. "Twenty? But now that I'm here that makes eighteen only, so who are the other two?"

"I've noticed," nodded the King. "I'm afraid that I am not aware as to where these other two supposed Chosen Ones are. However, as I was saying, there is a sense of fear in the air. Lately, there have been increased monster sightings. Some of them haven't been seen for aeons-the Immores, Farids, Ghastly Shades…The list goes on and on. Also, they are becoming bolder and bolder-there was recently an Immores raid on a ranch in eastern Areth: seven sheep, five pigs and two cows were killed. That is why the Gods have brought you here; it is your destiny to save our world."

After the King had finished his speech, the kids just looked at each other. Then Edd spoke up.

"Very well, your Majesty. We accept our…um…destiny, as you called it, and will try to save your world."

"A very good choice," smiled the King. "Now, if you don't mind waiting a while, we'll give you an explanation of what you have to do." The King motioned over to a male servant, who had been standing motionless in a corner. He held a glowing red orb in his hands. He laid his hand on it, and threw it onto the wall. It seemed to latch onto the wall, and it started to melt, expanding into a large, square-shaped piece of plain white paper. An image suddenly appeared on the paper-screen; it seemed to be some sort of ancient fresco. Depicted on it was a circle, and inside it was two figures. One was designed to resemble a male, the other to resemble a female. Outside of it were lots more figures, all of them looking towards the circle. Below it were more figures, each one's arms reaching up into the sky, where the orb seemed to sit. Below these people were several demonic looking creatures, serpents, beasts etc. The King swivelled to the kids, who were curiously studying the façade.

"Marvellous, is it not?" spoke the King. "What you are gazing upon here is a Memory Orb picture of the Aridione Fresco. This fresco explains the very basics of our religion.""How?" quipped Kevin. "I don't know if you've noticed, but it's just a picture."

"Hohoho!" laughed the King. "This is not the entire fresco. This is only a small picture slide of it. The proper fresco is astonishingly large. It fills up a whole cliffside!"

"Incredible," murmured Edd, who was silently examining the pictogram of the fresco. He pointed to the two figures enclosed within the orb. "Pardon me, sir, but who are these?"

"That, my dear boy, are the Holy Twins, Chaos and Crystal. They came into existence at the Beginning of Matter, and formed the Universe. Chaos sculpted and formed the worlds, planets and dimensions, while Crystal created beings of all kinds, and breathed Life into them. The people around the orb are the Gods of Utopia, the people underneath ordinary humans, and the people underneath them are demons."

"Ok," said Marie, in a slow voice. "But what have we gotta do?"

"Ah," exhaled the King. "You must go on a journey, a great adventure. You must find and collect the twelve-""Elemental Crystals," whispered Edd.

"How do you know?" inquired the King, with a frown on his face.

"These weird dudes told us," said Eddy. "They gave us all these weird powers, and said somethin' about a quest and these Crystal thingies."

"You must mean the Sages."

"Yeah!" cried Ed, with a gleeful face. "The funny people who talk in the funny way."

"Shut up, Ed!" hissed Rebecca, who elbowed him into a wall. Ed bounced off of it, and smacked Rebecca in the face. With a shriek of indignation, Rebecca lunged for Ed.

(Cue several minutes of random fighting, angry screaming (from Rebecca), punching, kicking, biting, laughing (from Ed) and scratching between Ed and Rebecca.)

"Well," said the King, after several minutes of Ed and Rebecca proceeding to beat one another up, "if the Sages have already informed you of your mission, then I believe that your time here is over. You will depart by airship in the morning."

"Pardon me, Your Highness," ventured Zoe, "what Crystal should we collect first?"

"Oh," said the King, a look of forgetfulness on his face. "I'm afraid I completely forgot about that. However, thank you for reminding me Zoe. Now, according to the preaching's of Arethanity, the Elements were created by Chaos and Crystal in a distinct order: Nature, Fire, Water, Electricity, Air, Earth, Ice, Psychic, Light, Darkness, Time and Space. According to the list, you should start your hunt looking for the Nature Crystal."

"But where is it?" pressed Eddy, excited at the prospect of discovering a real jewel.

"Well, to house each Crystal is an Elemental Temple. The Temple of Nature, the Temple of Fire, the Temple of Water…Obviously, you should start your search for the Crystal in the Temple of Nature. It is located deep in the centre of a forest many miles south of here. It is known as the Areth Forest, seeing as how it's the largest forest in Areth. However, there is a small matter of concern."

"Oh," said Nazz, a crestfallen look plastered on her face. "What is it?"

"Well," began the King," the Temple of Nature's exact location is unknown to us. However, the Floranuss race should be able to assist you there."

"The _what_?" exclaimed Jennifer.

"When Crystal created the Crystals, near the Dawn of Civilisation, she created an Elementally assigned race to guard their designated Crystal. I believe Petry has a picture slide prepared for that."

The young manservant walked over to the Orb, and tapped it again. The image on the wall changed; it was now a list of some sort.

_Crystal of Nature-Floranuss_

_Crystal of Fire-Magmoro_

_Crystal of Water-Aquanos_

_Crystal of Electricity-Eledox_

_Crystal of Air-Otteras_

_Crystal of Earth-Blockas_

_Crystal of Ice-Yorite_

_Crystal of Psychic-Elvotite_

_Crystal of Light-Human_

_Crystal of Darkness-Refernite_

_Crystal of Time-Phantosma_

_Crystal of Space-Ingeros_

"As you can observe here on the list," began the King, "the Humans, which are us, are Guardians of the Crystal of Light. Specifically, Areth is host to the Crystal, but it's powers are spread all over the world. As Guardians of the Crystal of Nature, the Floranuss will help you in what ever way they can."

"Alright then," said Kevin. "I guess our adventure begins!"

ooo

The next day dawned bright and early: the sun gleamed in the pale-blue morning sky, the birds whistled and tweeted, and a cool, crisp breeze blue in from the Arethan Sea, far to the west. The kids of the cul-de-sac had all been given luxurious lodging for the night, situated in the Castle's West Wing, and were all fully rested. They were currently standing on a large docking bay several miles outside of Areth. The King was also with them. Some of the kids were about to inquire what they were waiting for, when a large, droning sound filled the morning air.

"Step back!" ordered King Edward. The children did so, stepping over a blue stone line as they did. Astounded, the kids viewed in awe as the large airfield before them slowly opened up, the mechanisms groaning, as the airfield's two halves slowly split from each other, until a large, field-sized hole was left. More mechanisms began to whir, and a strange sound, like some sort of crank or pulley, shattered the still, morning air. Hands clamped tightly over their ears, the kids looked on as some sort of massive, medieval-styled ship slowly rose up from the ground, hoisted on some kind of pulley. It was similar to the ship that had attacked the cul-de-sac, but it lacked the cannon, and had lots of windows on the sides. The wood was dark brown, gilded with gold edgings. Many soldiers were bustling about now, preparing gangplanks, loading supplies etc. King Edward turned to the kids, who were viewing the scene in expected awe.

"Yes," he said, "airships are marvellous, aren't they? The _AS Areth _is probably the most largest and magnificent airship in the whole world. It is considered a great honour to be privileged enough to embark on it."

"Pardon me, Your Majesty," asked Jimmy. "How will the airship help us?""Since you have recently arrived on Gaia, you'll have little knowledge of it's geography. Therefore, the _AS Areth _will take you as far as Floranuss City. After that, your quest truly begins."

"Your Highness," called a voice behind them. The party turned, and saw Sir Rost advancing towards them. Sir Rost was a much-liked Knight, high up in the Arethan Military. He was tall and robust, with twinkling green eyes, thick brown hair, and a bushy beard on his chin. He was in his mid-thirties, and he was dressed in a typical Knight's silver armour.

"Yes, Rost?" asked the King.

"If the young heroes are ready," he said, smiling down at the kids, "then we are all set to embark."

"Very good," said the King. He now turned to look at the kids, and Ed noted that he had a look of sadness in his dark, sapphire-blue eyes. "My dear children, if you are indeed ready, then it is time for you to leave."

"Thank you, Your Highness," said Edd, stepping forward to speak on behalf of the group. "We will not let Gaia down."

"Thank you. Now, goodbye!"

ooo

It was about an hour later, and the kids were now safely onboard the _AS Areth. _(AN: As SS stands for "Sailing Ship", AS stands for "Air Ship", although it's really one word.) Edd was currently wandering about a corridor in the lower decks of the airship. The entire thing was constructed of wood and metal, and it was stuffy down in the lower decks. There was a low, constant humming sound in the air, which piqued Edd's curiosity. He came to a corner that branched off to the left. The humming was louder now, and stronger. Edd walked down this smaller corridor, until he came to a reinforced metal door marked: "**ENGINE ROOM**." After a few minutes of pondering, Edd came to a decision. Reaching out with his hands, he pushed the door with all his might. It slid inwards, and Edd saw the Engine Room.

It was about the size of a medium-size hall, and it encompassed two floors. A steel railing ran along the first floor, and the ground floor was mainly took up by two large machines, one connected to pipes, the other not. Edd noticed a person dozing in a wooden chair. He was short and stocky, with busy black hair, and a bushy beard as well. He was dressed in a brown shirt, brown pants and black boots. He wore a grimy, oil-splattered gray apron. Edd walked past him, over to the two, he presumed, generators. One was marked "**AIR**", the other "**ELECTRICITY**".

"I take it yer interested in findin' out about the generators."

Edd realised that the man in the chair wasn't really sleeping. He turned around, and looked at him.

"My profound apologies, sir," he said. "I didn't mean to poke about here in this room."

"Nonsense, lad," replied the man, getting up from the chair. "As soon as I saw ya, I thought "Now, there's a kindred spirit." You like engineering as well, don't ya?"

"Yes," beamed Edd. "I do. Oh wait, I'm sorry! I forgot to introduce myself! My name's Eddward, with two D's, but my friends call me "Double-D."

"Well, Double-D," replied the man, "my name's Vulrich Gophont, but my pals call me "Vulc". I'm the Head Engineer on this airship."

"That must be an interesting career," replied Edd.

"Aye, it is. Now, about they generators. You want to find out about them?"

"Yes please."

"Right then. Now, the Air generator is what keeps this airship afloat." Vulc walked over to it, and opened a small hatchet on it's side. Edd peered inside, and his eyes widened in wonder. There were hundreds of small, accordion-like tubes, that were pumping up and down in a fast, steady rhythm.

"These tubes pump air out of the airship, pushing it up off the ground. The other generator powers this thing, and makes the airship move."

"Amazing. Pardon my asking, but who invented airships?"

"A man named Gaius Deinuis. What a genius. He first invented airships 700 years ago.""My goodness, that was a long time ago!"

"Uh-huh. Now, let me show you the pipe-works…"

ooo

Zoe was enjoying a nice stroll along the deck of the _AS Areth_. She would have hated to have been cooped up inside in such glorious weather. She paused. A little ahead of her, leaning against the railing, was a young-looking woman, who was gazing out at the countryside beneath her. She had healthy, cerulean-blue hair, and dark violet iris's. She wore a short, white cotton dress, that rested above her knees, and over that a plain beige shawl. She wore dark leather sandals on her feet, and a brown traveller's bag was slung over her left shoulder. She looked to her left and spotted Zoe.

"Hello," she said. "What's your name?"

"My name is Zoe Cardsworth," replied Zoe politely.

"That's a lovely name, Zoe. My name is Hannah Ferlio. How old are you?"

"I'm twelve."

"Ah…" sighed Hannah wistfully. "The Age of Innocence."

Zoe looked at her.

"I was twelve ten years ago. I thought the world was my oyster. And it was. One day, I aspired to my greatest hope."

"What was that?"

Hannah smiled at her. "To become the youngest ever Head Professor of Symbology at the University of Areth. I achieved my goal exactly a year ago."

"That's incredible!"

They both started to stare across the countryside, when Zoe asked Hannah a question.

"Pardon me, but could you tell me a bit about Gaian geography?"

"Sure. To the north, you have the continent Freecia, where the North Pole is located. The Fenrir Elves and the Yorite live in it's central area, while there are several human cities on it's coast. You already know about this continent, Aretha, so I'll explain about Aridia, the continent to the west. The Aredos Corporation is the undisputed power there, and the continent itself is very similar to Aretha. However, there are more valleys, deserts and hills there. To the south you have Spirodis, a country covered in forests, mountains, hills and lakes. Spirodis is populated by anthropomorphic animals, who live in their own states and regions, but come under the same flag. Finally, to the south of Spirodis, you have the South Pole, Articia. It's a glacial land, covered in ice sheets, with only scientists living there. Now, on Articia…"

ooo

Several hours later, the cul-de-sac kids were gathered on the deck, talking and chatting after a delicious dinner. It was dusk, and the sky was a mixture of terracotta orange, fiery crimson, and rosy pink. The conversation had turned to something they hadn't really considered; what happened after they got all the crystals?

"Before we make any assumptions," said Edd, "we should consider if we'll even be able to find all the crystals."

"Oh, c'mon," whined Eddy. "How hard can it be?"

"Well, Eddy," said Rebecca, "I'm sure it wont be easy."

"Yeah!" said Michael. "I mean, we don't know this world! We could die out there!""What the hell are you rambling on about!" cried Eddy. "It won't be that hard."

"I think there's some truth in what Eddy's sayin'," said Lee. "This adventure thing could be easy. Hell, it could even be fun!"

"But what about monsters, and other creatures?" pressed Zoe. "I'm sure evil things won't take nicely to us."

"What monsters?" sighed Eddy. "Those freaks in the arena were probably really rare. I mean, c'mon, it'll probably be things like orcs, goblins, crap like that. Really easy things!"

"Like this one?" whispered an eerie voice from behind them. The kids spun around, and saw a dark, mysterious figure on the captain's deck.

"Faith!" cried Edd.

"Wow," said Faith, in a sarcastic tone. "Is that my name?"

"What the hell do ya want, creep?" spat Eddy.

"Well, there's two things. One; your punishment for that insolence." Faith stopped talking, and reached for her Trident, which was on her back. She grabbed it, and, closing her eyes, inhaled through her nose. Instantly, shadows cast by the setting son began to slowly drift towards her, covering the Trident in a gooey like substance. Suddenly, with a cry of pain, Jonny dropped to the ground.

"Jonny!" cried May, who knelt beside him. "What's the matter?"

"Ah…" he panted, gripping his stomach in pain. "It hurts…my stomach…"

"What the hell's wrong with Wood Boy?" exclaimed Michael.

"Your friend's Element is Darkness," called Faith. "Obviously, shadows are linked to Darkness, and when I use their power, near him, it'll cause him quite a bit of pain. At least until he gets used to my presence, that is."

By now, Jonny had risen up, the pain subsiding, oddly, the more he moved. Faith reached out with her right hand, and pointed the Trident at Eddy, who seemed unable to move. She began to chant a spell in Erponine; the Language of Eternal Darkness.

"**Osum**…**partui**…**fernis aksa**…**derconijy**!"

In English, that would be:

"O Gods of the Underworld, unto this brat, whom I point at with my Trident of Power, cause the curse of embarrassing hair, which will make him appear a fool to his peers!"

A streak of dark purple hit Eddy in the chest, pushing him back a few feet. When the smoke cleared, Eddy was still bent over coughing. When he looked up, he saw his friends staring at him.

"What?"

Elle reached into a pocket, and tossed him a mirror. He caught it, and peered into it. The boy he saw looking back was familiar to him, except for one thing; he had a head-full of hair. It was dark brown and smooth, and thick as well. A small bit fell over his left eye, but not so much that he couldn't see. His friends had several views on his new hairstyle:

Edd: "_That hair style does suit Eddy_!"

Zoe: "_Surprisingly_, _that's a really good cut._"

Rebecca: "_Wow…sexy…_"

Kevin: "_Meh…I preferred him bald._"

Nazz: "_Edd actually looks cool now_!"

Rolf: "_Why is the short-greedy-Ed-boy now having the bushels of hair_?"

Michael: "_Eddy looks weird with hair…_"

Ed: "_Yay_! _Eddy's got hair_! _All those products musta worked_!"

The Kankers (all at once): "_Ooooohhh_!"

Elle: "_Nice cut_!"

Jennifer: "_That_'_s a nice do. I actually like it._"

Jonny: "_Whatta nice haircut_,_ eh Plank_?"

Jimmy: "_Eddy_'_s new hair cut is quite odd…_"

Sarah: "_What do I care…_"

Lindsay: "_If that was meant to ridicule Eddy in any way_, _it_ _didn_'t_ work_."

Behind them, Faith was laughing like a lunatic. Her eyes were closed, and she was almost on the floor. She opened her eyes to look at Eddy, and her laughing stopped.

"Your supposed to have a mullet…" she huffed. "Never mind." She snapped her fingers, and everything went black…

ooo

After hearing a commotion on deck, Sir Rost, Vulc and Hannah had raced up, only to find the bodies of the kids lying on deck. Hannah had ran to Zoe, and was checking her pulse. It wasn't there.

"Are they…?" questioned Vulc, who was crouched down beside her.

"…No. I've witnessed something similar to this before. Tell me, my dear Vulrich, what do you know of the three dimensions of reality?"

"Um…Er…" Vulrich's blank face told Hannah all she needed to know.

"I've heard whispers of them," said Rost. "Apparently, different beings can survive in the different states."

"Close," murmured Hannah. "The three states of reality are: Angelic, Humanic and Demonic. It's like this. Fairies, elves, sprites, magical beings like that, they can live in the Humanic realm. However, they can also live in the Angelic realm, and when they do, they are invisible to the creatures in the Humanic realm. The same is for demons and the Demonic realm. However, creatures of the Humanic realm can survive in all three states.""But what has that got to do with anything?" pressed Vulc.

"When a human is taken into another realm, 90% of their soul is taken with them, leaving their body and the last 10% behind. Usually, they have no pulse, but they have a heartbeat left." Hannah placed her head on Zoe's chest, and felt the slow beat of her heart…

ooo

The kids were back on the deck again, However, something was wrong. They all felt light-headed, with a strange feeling of calm.

"Where's Faith?" spat Eddy, looking around for her.

"Here I am," called the lady in question. She was now standing on the proper deck, with some sort of queer-looking ball in her hand.

"What was that supposed to do?" questioned Lindsay.

"Maybe this will show you." Faith clicked her fingers, and for a split second, the kids saw their bodies, with Hannah, Vulc and Rost frantically examining them. The image was fuzzy and distorted, like a broken T.V. It vanished, and the kids were shocked into silence. Faith done a quick explanation of the states of reality, which shed some light on the situation.

"Why have you done this?" seethed Zoe.

"Simple," replied Faith. "It's so my **adorable **new pet can get some excerise."

"New…pet?" asked a confused Ed.

"Oh yes," said Faith, with an evil grin. "I guarantee you'll love it." She took the orb, and the kids saw it clearly fro the first time. It was egg shaped, twilight purple in colour, with a neon green serpent pattern spiralling around the surface. Faith began another chant.

"**O serpent King of forgotten old**,

**Let thy power once again unfold**.

**O serpent King of untold size**,

**Break from thy shell and now arise**!"

She cracked the egg on the ground, and a huge smog of blackness billowed up. Lindsay was bent over coughing, until she finally managed to regain her breath. When she looked up, her heart almost burst in, for the first time in her life, pure, unadulterated terror.

The huge snake before her was about as long a three playing fields; it's body was coiled around the ship several times. Rows of swampy-green scales, as sharp as a sabre, ran down it's spine, ending in a rattlesnake tail. Thousands of emerald green scales covered it's body, with various tones and tint. It's body was as thick as a double-decker bus, the scales glinting in the setting sun. It had piercing eyes, burgundy in colour, with a maw filled with sharp, venomous teeth. It opened it's mouth, and several small, odd-looking tongues, and a long, rubbery normal one, shot out. It took Lindsay several seconds to figure out what was strange about the little tongues; they were miniature snake heads, all seething and coiling around the mammoth serpent's normal tongue. Between it's two eyes was a circular piece of skin, that looked rather like a closed eyelid. The snake hissed, and slowly started to slither about.

"W…What is that?" whispered Jimmy in a tiny, meek voice.

"I can hear you, you know," said Faith, with a smug expression on her face. "I would like you to meet the Basilisk."

"The what?" exclaimed Kevin.

Zoe sighed, and look puzzled. "Kevin, in mythology, the Basilisk is often depicted as the King of Serpents, and is often linked to the Cockatrice. Traditionally, the Basilisk is born from the egg of a snake hatched under a cockerel, and it is a small, serpentine creature with rooster-like features. Therefore," and here Zoe looked triumphant, "this snake can't be a Basilisk!"

"Grammatical error," said Faith. "The creature you just described, the Basiliscus, is, in Arcanian, spelt almost exactly the same as Basilisk, with only a tiny difference in spelling. Scholars translating it, however, mistook it for Basilisk, and so the creature you described has come to be known as the Basilisk. Indeed, such a creature does exist, though it's very rarely seen. The true Basilisk has been extinct for centuries."

"Oh," said Zoe. "So why aren't we petrified. I mean, the Basilisk's eyes can petrify you, can't they?"

"True," taunted Faith, "but there is one incorrect fact there. The Basilisk has three eyes, two normal ones and one closed one that, when opened, can cause instant petrification, or even death!" She said death with glee. "Behold!"

"Close your eyes!" screamed Zoe. "Don't open them!"

If any eyes had been open, they last sight they would have seen, before they were petrified, would be that of a large, third unblinking eye, bloodshot with an unnaturally bright orange iris. It swivelled hungrily in it's socket, drinking in the sight. Faith petted it's head.

"Close your eye."

The beast obeyed, and the others opened their eyes.

"Now, my darling!" commanded Faith. "Kill them!"

She reached down to the ground, and, somehow, grabbed a piece of shadow. She pult it up to her, like a blanket, and it covered her body. It sunk to the ground, and Faith had disappeared with it. Now the Chosen Ones were left with a huge angry snake, that was prepared to kill…

ooo

Sir Rost shivered. A strange, tingling sensation had just crept down his spine. From the look on Hannah and Vulc's faces, they had felt it as well.

"What was that?" he asked. "It was like someone just walked over my grave."

"There's something here," said Hannah, a frown on her face. "Something evil…"

"Like a monster?" said Vulc.

"I don't know," said Hannah, "but whatever it is, it's came for the Chosen Ones…"

"How do you know?" asked Rost.

"My intuition. And it's never been wrong."

ooo

"What do we do?" whispered Sarah frantically. The Basilisk was poised, ready to strike any second.

"Well," gulped Edd, who was, unanimously, the strategist for the group. " I think we should run."

"Run?" whispered Eddy. "Why? Can't we just smash this overgrown adder into a pulp?""Shut up, Eddy!" cried Rebecca, though in a low voice. "We can't take this thing on! It'll kill us!"

"Rebecca's right," said Edd. ""If we can tire it out, we might have an infinite chance of harming it."

"So that's it?" said Kevin. "We play a game of cat-and-mouse?"

"Precisely. We run from it, while slowly trying to pick it off. Jimmy, Sarah and Lindsay, since you three have long-range weapons, I'd like you to slowly try to and attack it.

"Understood," replied Lindsay, who was slowly loading her **Magnum.**

"O.K., Double-D," said Sarah, who was taking some **Shuriken **out of her holsters.

"Why us?" questioned Jimmy sadly, as he notched an arrow in his bow.

"Ready?" asked Edd. The others nodded. "Go!"

Running back the way, the kids scattered. Zoe, Kevin, Eddy, Rebecca, Nazz, and Edd ran down a flight of wooden stairs, into the lower decks. The Kankers, Rolf, Jonny and Ed ran into the captain's cabin. Michael and Jennifer ran down the stairs as well, followed by Elle, and Sarah and Jimmy hid behind a large crate, while Lindsay had climbed up to the crow's nest in the ship's central mast. She aimed her **Magnum **at the Basilisk's forehead, and fired three rounds, two hitting the beast's eyes, the other bouncing off it's skin. Sarah threw several shuriken at it, slicing gashes on it's skin, while Jimmy's arrows pierced it's skin, jutting out like barbecue sticks.

Below deck was dark and musky, fading sunlight drifting through the wooden rafters. The electric lights were off, lending a mysterious atmosphere to the lower decks. Kevin was panting; so were the others.

"We shouldn't have left them up there," he said. "I'm going back." He made for the stairs, but Zoe grabbed his arms.

She said "No, Kevin! Don't! We can't lose you!"

"Fine. I'll stay. So, what's our plan, now that we're down here?"

"Right," said Edd. "We should-"

_CRASHHHHHHH_!

The girls screamed, and the boys gasped, as the Basilisk's head crashed through the deck. The fiend hissed, it's deep red eyes glowing in the semi-darkness.

"RUN!" shouted Edd, and the kids split up. Edd and Nazz ran down a hallway to the left, Kevin and Zoe to the right, and Eddy and Rebecca down the centre…

ooo

"What was that?" whispered Jennifer. Elle, Michael and she had descended even deeper down into the decks of the airship.

"What?" replied Michael, who had drawn his spear.

"That slithering noise. Elle, did you-" Jennifer turned around, and stopped short. Elle had vanished.

"Elle?" called Jennifer, her voice rising. "Where did you go?" She peered down a corridor.

"ELLE!"

ooo

Elle, too, had heard the noise, and had wandered down the corridor, where it was coming from. She stopped short in her tracks. The corridor was dark and damp, but she sensed a presence before her.

"Hello?"

Two dark, blood red eyes stared out at her from the darkness, glowing like lanterns. The Basilisk slowly slithered along the wooden floor, drifting towards her. Elle screamed and ran back towards Michael and Jennifer…

ooo

"That was Elle!" screamed Jennifer, pinching Michael's left arm. Elle herself suddenly came speeding out of the darkness, hurtling into Michael and Jennifer. She collapsed, sobbing, into her elder sister's arms.

"What's wrong?"

"We've got to hurry!" she cried. "I don't want to become snake food!" She ran off, leaving the other two behind. They exchanged a worried glance.

"Run!" cried Michael. They both ran off, after Elle. About half a minute later, the Basilisk slithered into view. It inhaled the air, and continued after it's prey…

ooo

"Where the hell are we going?" asked Kevin, as he ran after Zoe.

"We need to hide! On deck!" They reached a small ladder, a trapdoor at the top. Zoe climbed up the ladder, and tried to pry open the latch. Kevin stood guard at the bottom of the ladder, when he heard the faint slithering of the Basilisk. He swung around with his sword, and felt it slicing through something thick and heavy. The fiend roared in both rage and pain, and lashed at him with it's jaw. Kevin dodged to the left, and felt an odd energy pulse through his body.

"**Pulse Zap**!"

Several rings of crackling electricity lit up around the behemoth serpent's body, and made contact with it's flesh. A nauseous stench of frying snake began to clog up the air, and the Basilisk began to violently shake, it's body slamming into the wooden walls, causing them to groan and shudder, like leaves on a cold wind. It was only thanks to a water whip, created by Zoe, that Kevin escaped with his life…

ooo

"What's that banging?" questioned Ed to Jonny. They were both hiding, along with Rolf, behind a barrel in the Captain's Room. Jonny was tightly gripping both his spear and Plank, and Ed had his axe out.

"It might be the others…What's that Plank? You want us to go outside? Why? O.K. O.K.!" Jonny turned to Ed and Rolf. "Plank wants us to leave this room."

"No way!" cried three girl voices from underneath the Captain's luxurious, four-poster bed. The heads of the Kanker sisters popped out.

"We're not going out!" cried Lee.

"We're staying safe!" shouted Marie.

"Yeah!" said May.

Suddenly a humanoid form burst into the room: it was Edd, and he was breathless.

"Everyone!" he panted. "Come quick! You've got to see this!" He ran outside, and the others followed him onto the open deck. They looked around, and saw neither the Basilisk nor anything unusual. Edd was standing by the side of the ship, and he motioned over for them to come. They walked over to him, and looked down the side of the airship. They were astounded to see Kevin standing on a loose plank, jutting out over the open air like a jetty, and the dead body of the Basilisk falling down towards the solid earth. Before anyone could cheer or rejoice, an unsettling dizziness came over them all. They disappeared, one by one, in a cloud of shadows…

ooo

"Eeep!" cried Hannah abruptly. A second ago she had been sitting by Zoe. Now the said girl was sitting upright, and gasping. "Zoe! Are you okay?"

"I…I think so…" She collected her breath as the other kids woke up. Rost walked over to Edd. "What happened to you all?"

Edd explained about Edd and the Basilisk, and how Kevin had killed it. Before the adults could say anything else, and Arethan soldier marched onto the deck. He saluted at Rost.

"General Rost, Sir," he began. "I have bad news. Somehow, a large hole has appeared in the side of the airship, (here all the Chosen Ones looked at Kevin), and we shall have to make an emergency landing."

"Very well," replied Rost, his brow creased in a grim frown. "We'll be stopping in Floriana, won't we?"

"I'm afraid that the Floranuss city does not have a proper airstrip. However, the Chosen One's will be able to take a small Dockship down into the city."

"Very well," replied Rost. He looked at the children, and said, "A Dockship is a small miniature airship, with a tiny engine. It has auto pilot, and we'll stop once in Floriana. The Dockship you'll be taking is hanging over the side of the airship, so I suggest you get ready to depart."

As the other kids got ready to leave, Vulc pulled Edd aside.

"Listen, Double-D," he began. "I've got to ask ya a favour."

"Of course, Vulc" replied Edd. "What is it?"

"Ya see, I'm a dad to five boys and a girl. They're teenagers, and all obsessed with mechanics; like me. Anyway, me daughter, Vioreane, left home a while ago to travel the world and see engineering marvels. She's no been in contact for a while, so if you ever hear or see her, tell her to come home, all right?"

"I will," smiled Edd, and he walked over and into the Dockship. Waving goodbye to everyone on deck, the Chosen Ones sped downwards in the Dockship.

The Floranuss city spread out below them, and the more environmentally-aware kids gaped in awe at the eco haven. Every single building was constructed out of wood, held together by sun-dried soil. The city walls were made of timber as well, and they surrounded all of Floriana. Trees were extremely abundant in the city, and plants and flowers bloomed everywhere. Near the northern part of the city was a large building, surrounded by picturesque, yet wild, gardens. The building, like all of the others, was fashioned from timber and soil. However, at it's centre was a large tree, with windows and balconies fashioned into it. The Dockship slowed it's descent, and it came to hover on the roof of a large building near the centre of the city. The kids got off, and looked out over the city once again, now that it was closer.

"Welcome to Floriana!" called a sweet, tinkling voice behind them, and the Chosen Ones came to face with their first Floranuss.

The Floranuss was obviously a female. Her skin was a healthy-looking green colour, and it was reminiscent of a flower stem, though thicker; about the same size as a 12-year olds body. She had lavender-purple eyes, with delicate, pixie-like facial features. Her knee-length dress was green as well, though visibly darker than her skin. Her fingers were long and slender, and she had oval-shaped feet, with small toes. Her hair was in long strands, rose-pink, falling halfway to her torso and then smoothly going outwards, then curling back in. Probably her most notable feature was the medium-sized rose on her head. The same colour as her hair (which were in fact rose petals), it was in full bloom for summer, and looked extremely delicate.

"My name is Rosaline," spoke the Floranuss, "and I was sent to escort you to my Father's castle. My Father received a message from King Edward that you would all arrive soon, so I'm-"

Rosaline stopped and gasped as the ground shook, and a loud thump was heard in the air. The other looked in surprise, and suddenly screams filled the air. Before anyone could do anything, a dense purple fog filled the air. Eddy was bent over coughing, until the gas cleared. When he looked up again, feeling weak and dizzy, he saw that only he, Elle, Rosaline and Edd were left. The others had vanished!

"What…what happened?" he gasped. "Where…are the others?"

"There!" squealed Rosaline, pointing somewhere behind Eddy. He turned around and gasped in surprise.

Some sort of huge ball, bulb-like and yellow, was situated before him. He could dimly see, inside, quite a few human-like shadows, all pounding and banging against the ball.

"Why are they in there?" cried Elle. Before anyone could provide a suitable answer, a humming noise resonated in the air. Rosaline groaned.

"Not another one…" The kids looked up, and saw their first forest monster hovering in the air.

It was bulb-shaped, dark earthy green in colour, with a stem branching off from the top. On the tip of this thick stem was a flower. It had dark blue leaves, with a violet trim, and a face, which included two yellow evil eyes, and a wide maw, lined with razor-sharp fangs. At the root of the bulb was an opening. It was similar to a plughole or a salt-shaker, and out of this hole flowed a small stream of the purple gas. The monster stayed afloat, thanks to two leaf propellers on the underside of the bulb.

"What on Earth is that?" gasped Edd.

"That," replied Rosaline in a bored tone," is a common Nature monster, which has become increasingly common around here. It's called a Miasma Spore, because, though it's flower-like, it's tiny compared to it's cousins; the Miasma Plants."

"Well, looks like it's up to us to fight it," said Edd, drawing his sword.

"Bring it!" said Eddy, unsheathing his knife from it's scabbard.

"Let's go!" cheered Elle, taking out her staff.

"I'll try to help!" said Rosalina, as a very peculiar thing occurred; her arms began to change into vines.

"Charge!" cried Eddy, and they ran to the monster…

ooo

AN: Another cliff-hanger! However, this monster will be very easy to defeat. I simply ended the chapter here so it wasn't too long. Anyway, sorry I've not updated much. I've been busy with other things, not to mention writers block. Anyway, hope you enjoyed the chapter, and look out for the next instalment in "Edventure"!

P.S. So you don't end up pronouncing it wrong, Vioreane's name is said "Vi-o-reen", not "Vi-o-ree-ann". Thanks for reading!


	8. Chapter 8: Journey out of Floriana

AN: So here's the eighth chapter in the story. If anyone's looking for extra information about the general Edventure series, then a page on Ed Edd n Eddy Fanon Wiki is dedicated to the series. It is, of course, managed by me!

Chapter Eight: Journey out of Floriana

"Charge!" cried Eddy, and they ran to the monster. Edd and Eddy jumped skywards, and simultaneously slashed their sword and knife, respectively, at the large bulb that swayed precariously from the base of the Miasma Spore itself. Two shallow gashes appeared on the bulb, and the strange purple gas seeped out of them, along with a vile yellow blood-like liquid. The plant monster cried in annoyance, and spat a glob of the yellow liquid at the kids. The glob hit a nearby tree, where it started to sizzle and change colour, slowly being absorbed by the tree. The small ash's leaves began to change colour, to bright purple, before a gas slowly lifted from the leaves, who then returned to their original colour.

"What the heck was that?" asked Eddy.

"The Miasma Spore just spat out a liquid form of Miasma, which is a poisonous gas that secretes from the Spore. The liquid form is acidic, and can burn through nearly any substance; however, trees absorb the Miasma Liquid if they come into contact with it. They purify the acid, and release a gaseous form of it into the atmosphere, which is a surprisingly effective fertilizer. Now," and here Rosaline snapped her arms/whips off the wooden surface they were standing on, "are we going to stand here and talk about fertilizer or are we going to take down this Miasma nuisance?"

Edd and Eddy both nodded, and Eddy ran to the Spore. He leapt upwards, with the agility and speed of a Thief, and swung his knife at the creature's head. It merely dodged the novice's blow, and Eddy landed on the ground behind, stopping on his feet and turning to face the monster. Meanwhile, Rosaline had wrapped her arms around Edd's waist, and was swinging him around, building momentum. She suddenly let go, and Edd shot straight at the plant monster, and he impaled his sword right through it's chest. The creature shrieked, and burst open, causing Miasma gas to smother the kids like a poisonous blanket. When the smog cleared, the Spore had vanished, but in its place were hundreds of small, beetle like organisms. Miniature versions of the Black Beetles (only Lindsay knew this) suddenly scuttled over the group. Edd heard shouting, and several male voices; but soon a smothering darkness came over his vision, and everything faded to nothing.

ooo

"Now dear, I do believe that he's coming to."

"I think he is. Look, he's getting up."

Eddy groggily sat up, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. He opened them, and saw that he was nestled in a cushy, crib-like bed. Standing over him was Rosaline and another Floranuss, who was similar to Rosaline, yet was more mature looking, with her features more defined and developed. Presuming the woman to be Rosaline's mother, Eddy looked around the room he was in, pleasantly surprised to see that it was a modern nature-theme with many unique furniture designs.

"You're in one of our guest rooms," spoke Rosaline's mother. "I'm Queen Azalette, and Rosaline is my daughter. Pleased to meet you, young man."

"Nice to meet you too, Your…uh…Majesty!" spoke Eddy quickly, attempting to sound formal for meeting the Floranuss Queen. She merely smiled warmly at him, and slowly walked out of the room.

"…Did I say somethin' wrong?" asked Eddy.

"Oh no," laughed Rosaline, "Mother just thinks that I've got everything under control, so she left us to it. Anyway, how are you feeling?"

"Terrible," moaned Eddy gloomily.

"Why? You're not hurt, are you?"

"Nah, it's just…well, that was the first proper time we lost a fight. I mean, up till now we'd won all our fights, but we lost. And to add insult to injury, we lost to a swarm of bugs!"

"Oh, come off it," said Rosaline. "Face it, you can't win every fight. Now, let's go; your friends are waiting in the garden."

"Right," said Eddy. "How are the guys who were trapped in that ball thing?"

"Fine. The Royal Mage Guild was summoned, and they used **Esuna** on each of the Chosen Ones. They're right as rain now, but they've all slept through the night soundly, just like you."

"That's good," replied Eddy happily. Then he paused to think. "Wait, what's **Esuna**?"

"**Esuna **is a White Mage spell which heals all status problems. Now come on, the others have waited long enough." Rosaline walked out of a door, into the sunlight, and Eddy got off the bed and followed the Floranuss Princess. They emerged onto a wooden balcony, which looked out over a huge paradise garden. Eddy realised that the castle was the large tree-building at the centre of Floriana, and the garden was situated inside its walls. He wondered how they were going to get down, when Rosaline walked off the side of the balcony, and onto a wooden platform. Eddy followed her, and the platform, which was operated by magic, began to descend to the ground. When it finally reached the surface of the earth, Eddy quickly ran off it, and into the huge garden. It was designed so that in order to get to the courtyard of the castle, you had to walk through the impressive garden. Eddy had reached the lily flower-bed where his friends were, and saw his third Floranuss, and his first male.

He looked slightly similar to Rosaline, except that he was much taller and muscular. Whereas Rosaline's body was very thin, like a stem, his was thicker and a darker green, like a thin tree trunk. On top of his head was a scarlet-red lily, and the leaves were cut very short, so it seemed like he had short hair. He wore a white, toga-like robe, and a forest green over it. His eyes were lavender purple, like Rosaline's, and he had an air of authority that surrounded his being.

"Ah, so the final Chosen One awakens from his slumber," said the Floranuss, whose voice was a medium pitch.

"Sorry dude," replied Eddy, "butcha can't wake up whenever ya want, at least when you're K.O.'d."

"I suppose that is true," said the tall one, "but Rosaline should have wakened you sooner. Your friend Ed is _very _annoying." The Floranuss whispered, so that Ed, who was running through the flowers and swinging about his axe while shouting, "I am Lothar, hear me roar!", would not hear.

"I hear ya, dude," replied Eddy. "So, who are ya?"

"Budeus Alsa Vientor, King of the Floranuss and Lord of this Castle."

Before Eddy could reply, a pompous male voice sounded from his right.

"Father! I hope that you've not given **my **responsibility to Rosaline!" The group looked over, and Budeus sighed as he sighted his son stomping towards them.

The tall Floranuss marching over to them looked a lot like his father, albeit with a reverse coloured toga and cloak then his father. The rose on his head was purple, and it was carefully trimmed to look like the leaves were short, curled hair. He also wore extremely tall boots, which seemed very odd and only added to his size, as well as long, glittering emerald gloves, which covered his entire arms.

"I thought that Rosaline could handle it better, son," sighed Budeus, preparing for a rebuke off of his son.

"SHE COULD HANDLE IT BETTER?" screamed the prince in outrage. "WHY COULD **SHE **HANDLE IT BETTER?"

"Because Rosaline ain't a drama-queen…" whispered Eddy.

"What was that?" asked the prince, swirling around to face Eddy, who was trying not to snigger.

"Nothin', nothin'!" smirked the short one. "I was just wonderin' why Rosaline couldn't handle whatever it is that you're so worked up about."

The Floranuss merely studied him for a few moments, before closing his eyes and shaking his head, all the while smirking at Eddy's idiocy.

"Foolish humans…Of course,** you **wouldn't understand."

The air seemed to turn to ice, as every human gathered there glared at the prince.

"Say that again," spat Kevin, slowly advancing forward, flanked by Michael and Rolf. "I dare you!"

"Hello everyone," said Rosaline, finally catching up with the group. "What's the matter?"

"The tried to kill me!" whined the prince, pointing an accusing finger at Rolf, Kevin and Michael. "Father, execute them!"

"Shut up, dork!" cried Kevin, now pulling out his blade.

"What's going on here?" demanded Rosaline, stepping in between Kevin and her brother so that they wouldn't rip out each others throats.

"The humans questioned that I would not be a better candidate for assisting them to the Temple of Nature!" cried the prince. "As an heir to the throne, I would be perfect to help them!"

"Yes, that's true," groaned Rosaline. "However, you're not first in line to the throne, so the responsibility fell to me; and take off those stupid gloves and boots, for Utopia's sake!"

Rosaline's arms turned into vines, and soon split into four vines. Each vine wrapped around one of the prince's glove or boot, and yanked it off his body. The Floranuss fell down with an thud and wail, and the Chosen One's gasped at his true…_stature_.

The prince was short, perhaps as short as Eddy, making him look around eight years old. The boots and gloves were stuffed full of compressed mud, so they made his body look very mature and tall.

"WHY DID YOU HAVE TO RUIN IT?" shrieked the junior prince, and he ran off somewhere into the bushes, crying and whining like a toddler having a tantrum. Budeus sighed, and ran after the boy, hugging his daughter before going off to find his son. Rosaline turned to the humans, who were standing there awkwardly, feeling like they had been witness to a private scenario in the Floranuss Royal Family.

"Oh, don't worry about him!" chuckled Rosaline. "Recently, as he's gotten older, my brother's always been in a foul mood, all because his name is Bloomadeur!"

ooo

AN: In Floranuss culture, calling a boy "Bloomadeur" is like calling a human boy "Ashley" or "Marian". Sorry, Edd!

ooo

The next day was the day that the Chosen One's would finally go off in search of the first crystal. Due to Edd, Eddy and Elle's fainting, the excursion was delayed until the next day, giving the kids time to explore Floriana. Now, with Rosaline as their over-enthusiastic guide, they were already trawling along through Areth Forest.

"Over there, as you can see, is a "Luminous Spotted" mushroom, which is highly praised for its beautiful, fluorescent glow," explained an excited Rosaline, pointing to a large, blue-and-yellow mushroom in the distance.

"Fascinating!" exclaimed Zoe and Edd, both writing down notes on notepads they had acquired in Floriana.

"Not…" smirked Eddy quietly, so no one heard him except himself and Rebecca, who just growled at him for mocking her cousins (and herself) enthusiasm for learning.

"When will we get there?" whined Jimmy, sitting down on a vacant oak stump and rubbing his legs. "My toes are sore, and so are my legs!"

"Yeah!" vouched Sarah for her best friend. "We've been walking long enough, so where is this temple thingy?"

"Don't worry," said Rosaline reassuringly, "it's just about ten more miles away."

"WHAT?" screamed all of the kids, excluding Edd, Zoe, Kevin, Rolf and Rebecca.

"We'll never make it that far!" cried Marie.

"Yeah, dude, we'll never get there!" moaned Michael.

"…What's a "dude"?" questioned a puzzled Rosaline, completing ignoring the tired moans of several Chosen Ones. Before Michael could respond, a rustling noise, originating from a large blackberry bush, caused a curtain of silence to descend over the group. Eddy, followed by Lee, slowly advanced towards the bush, when something large and furry leapt out, like a shadow, over the group. When it slowed, they finally saw that it was a large, squirrel-like mammal.

The creature was pale grey in colour, with streaks of black in it's fur. It had large, baby-like eyes, and bucktoothed front teeth, like May's. It's claws were not sharp at all, and it was large and very fat. It had a unique cute charm about it, causing several of the girls to coo at it. However, when Rosaline saw it, she screamed in fear and hid behind Rolf.

"AAAAAAHHHHH! GET IT AWAY!"

"Why?" asked May. "It's just a cute, wittle bwaby squirrel!"

"NO IT'S NOT!" shrieked the Floranuss. "IT'S A CARMUNCLE!"

"Well, it's cute whatever it is," remarked Zoe. She took a chocolate bar out of her dress pocket, and handed it to the Carmuncle.

"NOOOOOOOOO!" shrieked Rosaline. "DON'T FEED IT!"

It was too late, however, as the Carmuncle had already consumed the entire bar. It licked its lips in appreciation, and looked pleadingly at Zoe.

"Sorry," she replied, "but I'm all out of chocolate."

The Carmuncle glared at Zoe, and slowly started to growl. It bared it's teeth, and reached out with it's paws.

"Oh, great," said Rosaline, "you've really done it now!"

The Carmuncle roared, and a radical change in it's appearance took place. It started to grow, the fat on its stomach becoming bulging muscle. It grew taller and taller, until it was a huge squirrel monster. It's teeth were now fangs, and its claws had sharpened to a considerable length. Its body was leaner, and maybe a bit wolf like, but all-in-all it resembled a huge, bulking squirrel beast with a mouth the size of a pit.

"Eeep…" whimpered Elle, staring at the snarling ravenous beast.

"What do we do now?" asked Eddy, slowly taking his knife out of its holster.

"SCATTER!" screamed Rosaline, running from the group. The beast roared, causing the Chosen One's to scatter in all directions.

ooo

"This way!" cried Kevin, holding Zoe's right arm and pulling her along. Zoe gladly accepted, grateful to get away from the Carmuncle, which had ran after Rosaline and was tearing through the forest. Kevin finally stopped in a sheltered clearing, near a thin oak, and frantically looked around.

"We gotta find a hiding spot!" he shouted, scaring off a flock of starlings that had been nesting in the oak. This caught Zoe's attention, and she noticed that there was an opening in the trunk of the tree.

"This way!" she said to Kevin, pulling him after her towards the tree. However, in her hastiness, she slipped on some mud. She bumped into Kevin, and he fell onto the undergrowth, Zoe landing on top of him with an "oof!". Zoe rubbed her eyes, getting the dust out of them, when she saw two things; first, she was lying on top of an embarrassed Kevin, and secondly, that their noses were mere inches away; they were almost touching. After a few awkward moments of silence, Zoe got up, with Kevin scrambling up after her.

"Heh-heh…" said Zoe sheepishly, rubbing the back of her head with a sheepish expression. "Sorry about that, Kevin."

"Um, it's O.K.," said Kevin nervously, for Zoe had never been so near to him before.

"There's…er…a hiding place over there," remarked Zoe, pointing towards the tree.

"Oh," replied Kevin, "let's, um, hide there, then…?"

Zoe slipped inside the tree, with Kevin following after her. The opening in the trunk was thin, so Zoe, with Kevin in front of her, were squished together. Kevin placed a slab of tree bark over the hole in the trunk, and they were both instantly in darkness, with only snippets of the early afternoon sunlight getting into the hiding space. Both Zoe and Kevin were really nervous about being so close to each other, especially after _the fall_.

Zoe giggled, albeit nervously, and Kevin was looking like Bashful out of Disney's "Snow White and the Seven Dwarves."

"So…" he said, a futile attempt at small talk.

"Yeah…" replied Zoe back, her voice high-pitched (even for her) with humility.

"Um…Are you…er…like, liking Gaia?" questioned Kevin.

"So far, yes," replied Zoe, calming down slightly, "but I've not reached a final conclusion about my liking of Areth. I mean, we have only been here two days, though it seems like we've been here forever."

"Yeah, 'cause, like, you can't just decide-"

"Eeep!" squealed Zoe, her calmness vanishing, and Kevin placed his right hand over her mouth to stop her squeal transcending into a scream. He took his hand off her, and Zoe gasped in fright. "I just saw a shadow pass over the light! Something's out there!"

"You stay here," ordered Kevin, managing to pull out his sword, "and I'll check it out. Zoe closed her eyes, and she heard Kevin slowly pull back the bark covering of their hiding place. She heard him leap out with a battle cry, and she heard four screams.

"Aw, Zoe," she heard Kevin say disappointedly, "it's just the Dorks and Rebecca."

Zoe got out of her hiding place, and saw Kevin glaring at Ed, Edd, Eddy and Rebecca, with Eddy glaring back at him, Ed looking excited, and Edd and Rebecca looking relieved to see her.

"Zoe, we thought that you were lost, and all alone!" explained Edd.

"Well, Kevin protected me," said Zoe sweetly, winking at Kevin.

"Yeah, until you three Dorks made us come out our hiding place," said Kevin angrily. Then Zoe's sweetness shattered, and she stared at Kevin.

"Excuse me, Kevin," she said, rather frostily, "but did you just call _my brother_ a _dork?_"

"No, no!" said Kevin quickly, admonishing the _horrendous _claim. "I would never call anyone a dork! Pppft!"

"But Kevin," said Eddy smarmily," you call us dorks all the time, but never when Zoe is here."

"Yes, Kevin," spoke Edd, "especially this summer, while Zoe and Rebecca were struck down with influenza."

"SHUT UP, DORKS, BEFORE I POUND YOU!" shouted Kevin, then gasped as he felt Zoe's unwavering glare upon his back.

"Well, I don't think Eddward and the others would like it very much if I was around someone who called them dorks," spoke Zoe, "so I think we'll go now, hmm?"

With that, Zoe walked off, with the others, except Kevin, following her. Kevin hung his head in sadness and shame.

_Oh man…I blew it with Zoe…_

ooo

"Sarah, I'm worried about the others," spoke Jimmy quietly, for he and Sarah were creeping along through the forest's undergrowth and trying to avoid detection from the Carmuncle.

"Oh, don't worry, silly," spoke Sarah brightly, "I'm sure they're fine!"

"Oh, I wouldn't be so confident about that," spoke a velveteen, seductive voice that seemed to originate from nowhere, yet was covering the pair like a heavy, silken blanket.

"Who's there? Show yourself!" ordered Sarah gruffly.

"If you insist, bitchy," replied the voice, and Sarah growled in utter fury. Jimmy tried to calm her, when he saw something move right in the corner of his eye. He turned to focus on it, but whatever it was had disappeared. Jimmy thought that he was imagining things, when he saw something else move in the other corner of his eye. This time, the thing kept moving, and Sarah and Jimmy were shocked witnesses to what happened.

The shadows of the trees slowly twisted around, conglomerating into a rounded shape which constantly quavered and twitched like a living, breathing organism. Then, like a slow summer sunrise, something began to emerge out of the darkness. First a head…then a torso…two arms…two legs. The figure was completely black, and looked just like a Mimic. And then slowly, the shadows peeled off the figure, like a cocoon being shed by its inhabitant, a monstrous being that soon evolves into a beautiful, treacherous Bringer of Death.

For it was Faith before them.

"You!" screamed Sarah, and Jimmy had to hold her back. "How dare you call me a swear word!"

"I could call you _so _much worse," smirked Faith, and she threw a ball of shadow at them. Jimmy pulled Sarah out of the way, and the ball connected with a sycamore tree. It instantly burst into purple fire (Dark Fire, for future reference) and became a pile of grey ashes.

"As I was saying, don't be so sure that your friends are safe," said Faith.

"What do you mean?" demanded Sarah.

"I'm afraid the Carmuncle got to them," said Faith with mock sorrow and sympathy, and a smoke-like shadow materialised before them. An image, like a mirage, appeared in the writhing mass of blackness. An image which horrified the pre-teens watching it.

A clearing in the wood, bathed with crimson blood…

Mutilated bodies, limbs and organs spread over the clearing…

The Carmuncle, huge and bulky, ripping into a person. A person Sarah knew very well.

"ED!" screamed Sarah, aghast at seeing the Carmuncle devour her brother.

"Sad, isn't it?" asked Faith. "Your poor brother dead, eaten by the Carmuncle. Doesn't it make you just want to, I don't know, kill yourself?"

"Don't listen to her, Sarah!" cried Jimmy. "She's playing mind games!"

"ROOOOAAARRR!"

Sarah and Jimmy screamed in terror as a Carmuncle leapt over them and onto Faith. This one was smaller than the one Zoe had fed, and it's colours were reversed, with black fur and grey streaks through it. This one was more graceful, as it was a female.

Faith was unmoved by the fact that she was lying under a ravenous monster, with its claws digging uncomfortably into her shoulders. Her face devoid of any fear, she merely drew back her right arm and swung her fist at the Carmuncle's face.

"Holy cow!" shouted Sarah. One moment the Carbuncle was looming over Faith, as though it was going to eat her, and the next it was zooming through the air, yelping in pain, with Faith calmly lying on the ground, her right arm extended upwards. Shadows began to swirl around her, lifting her up until she was standing upright, like a few moments before. She patted her dress down, and smirked at Jimmy and Sarah.

"Well, that was unexpected, but I'm a master of using anything and everything to my advantage. That Carmuncle is probably the mate of the one that attacked your group, and I'm sure it won't be pleased that you hurt its mate."

"But we didn't hurt it!" protested Jimmy. "You did, meanie!"

"Oh please, do you honestly think that the Carmuncle will care who hurt its mate?" asked an exasperated Faith. "It won't matter as long as it gets to eat something, namely you two. Toodles!"

Faith vanished into the shadows as the roar of an enraged Carmuncle was heard in the distance. Jimmy and Sarah panicked, until two separate vines descended from a tall tree above them and wrapped around their waists. Before they could react, they were pulled up at incredible speeds. They stopped at one of the tallest branches to find that Rosaline had been their savoir. Far down below, the Carmuncle charged through the clearing in search of prey…

ooo

"This is boring!" whined Eddy, as he, Ed, Edd, Rebecca and Zoe wandered through Areth Forest. "Something exciting is bound to happen, so why won't it!"

"Don't you dare jin-" began Edd, when the Carmuncle burst through the undergrowth and roared at them. Ed screamed and grabbed all four of his friends, starting to run through the undergrowth, with the Carmuncle zooming after them. The kids were screaming and holding on to each other for dear life as Ed ran on at full-speed, causing many animals and birds to fly or run away from the carnage-causing Ed's path of destruction, with the Carmuncle trampling everything twice for good measure.

"DO SOMETHING!" screamed Eddy cowardly, though he had good reason as he was at the very end of the trail of friends, with the Carmuncle right behind him.

"WHAT?" screamed the others back at him.

"I DUNNO, LET ZOE USE LIBRA OR WHATEVER!" screamed Eddy more frantically, as the Carmuncle was right behind him, snapping it's fangs at his short feet. Zoe closed her eyes, and put her hands over her ears to block out the sounds of the forest, and the anguished cries of animals that had not been so fortunate in escaping the Carmuncle.

"**Libra**."

Violet haze surrounded the Carmuncle, and a mirror appeared before it. The Carmuncle roared at it, and fired a beam of orange lava at it. The lava merely bounced off the mirror and right back at the beast, ripping it in half. The image faded, and the Carmuncle was still giving chase, with Eddy now crying in desperation.

"Zoe!" screamed Rebecca, who was clinging to her ankles. "Do you have a plan?"

"Hush," commanded Zoe, causing Rebecca to turn to Edd, who was clinging onto her heels.

"Zoe's mad!" she cried, which was an extremely rare emotion for the sugary-sweet Zoe to feel.

"Ed," said Zoe calmly, and he barely heard her, "hold me up on your hand." Ed did so, holding onto Edd's hat with his left hand and supporting Zoe with his right.

"ZOE! FREAKIN' COME UP WITH SOMETHING ALREADY!" commanded Eddy.

"Hush!" barked Zoe, and Eddy instantly silenced, even though the Carmuncle was almost ripping into his heels. Zoe clicked her fingers, and had a pleased look on her face.

"Ed, turn to the left, out of the Carmuncle's way, and then stop running," said Zoe. Ed did as he was told, and the Carmuncle raced on ahead, not noticing the fact that the kids were metres behind it.

"Yeah!" cheered Eddy. "Look, the idiot's on ahead of us!" At that moment, the Carmuncle spun around, and charged towards them again (AN: Chase scenes through a forest are really boring to write!).

"Well, some plan!" whinged Eddy.

"Hush," was all Zoe said, as she needed to concentrate; to do so, she needed to ignore Loudmouth. Something clicked in her mind, as she remembered Taileia's explanation two days before.

ooo

_Flashback_

ooo

"Zoe," said Taileia to her, as she walked out of the pit, "that was very good use of magic for a rookie. Well done!"

"Thank you," replied Zoe politely. "What kind of magic did I use there? Was it White, or Black?"

"Well, **Water **is a White Magic Spell, but as a Sage, you are very lucky."

"Oh?" said Zoe, slightly confused. "How so?"

"As a Sage, you are destined to be a master of magic. If I'm perfectly honest with you, and I mean no insult or offence, I was surprised that a Chosen One was, well, _chosen _to be a Sage. Don't tell this to the others, but I didn't think any of you would have enough potential and magical ability to be a Sage." Taileia smiled warmly at Zoe, and shook her hand. "As a Sage, you have the ability to learn all four types of magic: White, Black, Summoning and…Arcanian."

"Arcanian?" asked Zoe. "What's that?"

"You'll learn soon," said Taileia mysteriously. "Congratulations on being a Sage, but I think that you should just stick to low level magic right now, just Level One and Two spells. If you try anything too hard, you may be injured."

ooo

_End flashback_

ooo

"I know what to do," spoke Zoe bravely.

"What are you going to do?" asked Edd.

"I am a Sage," said Zoe proudly, but not in a stuck-up manner; no, she said it proudly because she was proud of who she was. "I am going to save us, even if it kills me!"

Zoe stood before the charging Carmuncle, and stretched out her arms.

"**Defender of the innocent saplings!**

**Guardian of the thick undergrowth!**

**I call on you to aide me your eternal power!**

**Come forth, Carbuncle! Aeon of the Forest!**"

As Zoe collapsed, a blinding ruby-red light appeared in front of the group, causing them to shield their eyes and the Carmuncle to momentarily stop its assault. The light faded, and a little creature was left standing on the ground. It had soft, cotton-like bright-green fur, with three leaf-like tails protruding from its rear-end. A white stripe of fur ran on the front of its body, and a stripe of teal fur ran on its back. It had pointy, large rabbit ears and innocent, crystal-blue eyes, but it's most notable feature was the large ruby embedded in its forehead. It looked curiously at its surroundings, then frowned at the Carmuncle. It snarled at the rabbit-like creature, then began to charge up its Lava Beam.

"**Ruby Light**!" commanded Zoe, who was miraculously unharmed from summoning the Level Four summon, and Carbuncle let forth a beam of ruby light from the jewel in its forehead. The light formed a mirror in front of the group, and deflected the Lava Beam back at the Carmuncle. It whimpered before being evaporated by its own attack. Carbuncle disappeared in a flash of light, before the others came running into the clearing, all witness to what had just happened.

"Whoa, Zoe!" awed Nazz. "That was incredible!"

"I didn't know you could summon!" said Jennifer, thrilled to have a Summoning training partner.

"Oh, yes," explained Zoe, "Taileia said that I could learn White, Black and Summoning magic because I'm a Sage, though it takes me longer to learn it; however, my attacks will be more powerful."

"Well anyway," gushed Rosaline, "that was A-M-A-Z-I-N-G! Amazing! I can't wait to see more magic, because I'm starting to learn White magic at school in the Fall."

"Well now that that's over," said Edd, "how about we continue on our excursion to the Temple of Nature."

"Sure," said Rosaline. "In fact, there's a town on the way there that predominantly a Floranuss settlement. We can stop there for a breather before we make the final part of the hike."

With that, Rosaline walked into the thick bracken, with the Chosen One's following. The clearing was empty for a few minutes, before the shadow of a large oak began to twist and wriggle. A shadowy being emerged, and Faith shrugged off the cocoon of shadows.

"So they're definitely going to the Temple of Nature," she mused darkly, and created a ball of darkness in her hands. "And I'm sure that little, insignificant hamlet they're stopping at is the village with the _fog_." She brought the ball to her mouth. "Scylla, the Chosen Ones and their plant guide are stopping at _that _shanty town. Since they'll presumably be preoccupied, I want you to clear out the Temple and prepare _him_." Faith crushed the ball and slowly descended into the darkness, chuckling darkly; her plan was all coming together…

ooo

AN: Yay! (Throws party and invites all the cul-de-sac kids) Zoe's summoned her first summon!

Zoe: I'm so happy! (Blow's party horn)

AN: With Zoe summoning Carbuncle, it should be a happy time; but what is Faith's mysterious plan?

Kids: What plan?

AN: Ooops! I've said too much…See you next time!

-LucasBravvus97

P.S.: Here's the first instalment of "Fun Cul-de-sac Facts!" Each chapter I will tell you several facts (which I don't know if they're true (they are to me)) about a certain character. This week is Zoe, in honour of her defeating the Carmuncle! Did you know:

1. That Zoe's favourite two colours are pink and white.

2. That Zoe loves cooking and food; her favourite food of all time is mussels (a type of shellfish) and that she has to devour every one she sees.

3. That Zoe is a skilled musician: she can play the piano: the violin: the cello: the flute: the harp: the clàrsach (a type of small Scottish and Irish harp (clàrsach means "harp" in Gaelic): and the ocarina.

4. That Zoe is terrified of snakes because one tried to bite her at an elementary school trip to the zoo.

5. That Zoe hates modern, spiky haircuts because she thinks that the "look like they were cute by a lawnmower".

6. That Zoe is a secret game fanatic, and her favourite two series' of all time are "Harvest Moon" and "Final Fantasy". She's also brilliant at shooting zombies on "Resident Evil"! However, none of her friends know because she thinks her hobby is "odd" for someone like her.

7. That Zoe's top three school subjects are Home Economics (Hospitality), English and History.

8. That Zoe does not play many sports; however, she likes to occasionally play tennis and is brilliant at ice-skating, as well as trampolining with Edd (they are a famous and widely respected duo in the junior trampolining world).

9. Zoe has an impressive book and game collection, and is an avid fan of "Sim City Creator" for the Wii.

10. That Zoe hates people who skip queues because they think they're better than you.

That's it for Zoe; next time Edd, "The Braniac".


	9. Chapter 9: The Miasma Crystal

AN: Here is the ninth chapter of "Edventure," and the third chapter of the **Nature Arc**. So that I don't have a short story, this chapter and possibly the one after it will be filler, but I'm not sure yet. Just wait and see, and remember to review!

Chapter Nine: The Miasma Crystal

"We're nearly at Finedum," panted Rosaline, as she slipped her slim figure between two massive ash's. The others, as most of them weren't as thin as the vegan Floranuss princess, went around the trees. They had been hiking through the seemingly endless woods for around half-an-hour, and the kids were tired as a result-and also cranky.

"Watch where you're going!" snapped Michael at Kevin, as he had accidentally trodden on his foot.

"Well," roared Kevin," if you weren't just standing there like an idiot, then maybe I wouldn't have stepped on your bug, fat foot!"

"Did you just call me an idiot?"

"Yeah! I did! What are you now, a deaf idiot?"

Michael lunged for Kevin, and they both fell onto the ground, struggling and fighting with each other.

"They're both idiots, if you ask me," commented Sarah as she walked by the fighting adolescents.

"That's enough, you too!" cried Nazz, but the two boys didn't listen to her.

"**Vine Whip**!" cried Nazz (AN: I couldn't think of a better name.), and two vines sprouted from the ground and wrapped around the legs of Kevin and Michael, pulling the squabbling boys away from each other.

"Nice moves, Nazz!" praised Zoe, hi-fiving her BBFAFL (Best Friends Forever And For Life).

"Thanks!" replied Nazz. "But you're awesome, Zoe! I mean, you were the first one to use magic, in the cul-de-sac, against that fire bomb, and earlier you summoned Carbuncle. You're just too cool!"

"Oh, stop it! You're making me giddy!"

The group walked on, with Kevin and Michael either ignoring each other or glaring at the other boy all the way through the rest of the hike. Soon enough, the trees were not as thick together anymore, and there was a well-worn dusty path among the flora and plants. Now that they weren't having to focus on watching their step while they walked across rough country, Rosaline began to explain a bit about the Floranuss and where they came from.

"Originally," started Rosaline, though few were paying attention to her, "we Floranuss are though to be a similar race to the Dukora. They too were a plant-like race, though they died out years ago, along with the other four races of Gaia."

"Other four races?" asked Edd, one of the only ones who was listening.

"I tell you about them," said Rosaline coldly, "when the others start paying attention. I won't waste my time, you know."

Zoe, Edd, Nazz and Michael shot the others reproaching glares, causing them to stop messing about and listen to Rosaline's explanation of her planet's history.

"Right now," she began, "this world is ruled by various kingdoms. It's been like that for a very long time, since 0 A.D. Before that, for a thousand years, there were still lots of Kingdoms, though they were constantly at war with each other. Areth, even then the largest country on the planet, brought all the warring nations together and began the period of peace that we know today. Before that though, for 10,000 years, was the era of the Arcanians."

"The Arcanians…" muttered Elle, something stirring deep within the recesses of her brain.

"Do go on," said Edd excitedly.

"The Arcanians were basically humans who thought very highly of themselves. Their empire spanned the entire continent of Arethia-this continent, by the way-and they were the most powerful people in the world. They even thought that they were holy; the "Enlightened Peoples," crafted in the image of the God's. They thought that they could even speak the language of their "parents," as Arcanian is considered the tongue of the Gods."

"Wow…" whispered Eddy, as he, like everyone else, was hooked on Rosaline's tale.

"After a benevolent rule of 10,00 years, the Arcanian Emperor and his council met to discuss something. The Emperor thought that the people thought too highly of themselves; he thought that if they continued to act the way they did, then they could stir the wrath of the Gods. So, he decided to break up the Empire into separate kingdoms; and so began the end of an era."

"That was interesting," commented Jimmy as they walked on ahead.

"But," continued Rosaline, "even before the Arcanians were five other great races, who too ruled Gaia for 10,000 years. It was 5,000 years after the fall of these great nations that Arcania came to be. The fall of the Dukora, the Ahurian, the Gorgona, the Moxiai and the Frendus. The Dukora, plant-people like myself, ruled the Eastern Continent. The Ahurians, winged humans who lived in the sky, had levitating cities all over the world. The Gorgona, humanoids who were masters of the art of Summoning, erected their kingdom in the West, while the Frendus, talking, working Platypuses, lived on the Southern Continent. The Moxiai were odd beings; they lived at the centre of the North Pole, and were manta-like beings with unmatched psychic abilities. These nations ruled the planet with great care."

Rosaline stopped speaking momentarily, to see if anyone wanted to ask a question. No one spoke, so Rosalyn continued. "After 10,000 years, however, came the Unleashing of Hell."

"What was that?" whispered Nazz fearfully, clutching onto Edd's ( who was closest to her) arm, making him blush and stutter slightly,

"It is the collective name given to five great disasters that affected each kingdom in it's own terrible way. A great storm blew in the skies of Gaia, catching many Ahurian cities in its grasp and hurling them out of the atmosphere, or grinding them into dust. The Gorgona kingdom, in a bid for power, attacked a small tribe of elves called the Lufedine, who lay in the far south of their continent. These creatures fought back, and, summoning a fearsome beast known as "Fiend", eradicated the Gorgona."

"That's so sad," sighed Zoe, thinking how terrible it must have been for thousands of Ahurians and Gorgonas to know that they were going to die.

"Not as sad as the Dukora's cause of extinction," said Rosaline, and her eyes looked slightly misty. "Apparently, a soothsayer appeared to the then King of the Dukoras and warned of an impending poison fog rolling in from the sky. The King, in a bid to save his race, gathered all of his people, from all corners of the kingdom, in one gargantuan plain. For miles and miles were Dukora campsites, as people waited for their king to decide what to do. Finally, he came up with the most drastic solution; the Dukora, at least until the disaster was over, had to revert into their original forms."

"That can't have been that bad," reasoned Edd.

"They turned themselves into trees, Double-D," said Rosaline sadly, as everyone's mouth dropped open. "They turned themselves into trees, so that they would be safe during the supposed Miasma-outbreak. But it never came; the soothsayer had been wrong, and a whole race had, essentially, petrified themselves in order to escape extinction." Rosaline turned away from the group, and her body began to tremble as she sniffled. She turned back, and was wiping her chlorophyll-green bloodshot eyes. "I'm sorry," she sobbed," it's just I always get sad when I talk about the end of the Dukora, because they were so much like my people."

"It's O.K.," soothed Zoe, coming up and hugging Rosaline. "I'm not sure I know how you feel, but I do know that it must be very traumatising to talk about the extinction of your parent race."

"It's fine," said Rosaline, "let's just get to Finedum." The large group continued on their hike, most of the humans anticipating a good rest in Finedum, while Rosaline was very quiet, and looked as though she was concentrating very hard on something. Edd was busy consulting a map Rosaline had given him, determining when they would arrive in the town of Finedum.

"Stop," said Rosaline abruptly, as she stood stock still in the middle of their path. A little vine-like protrusion began to emerge from her forehead, much to the disgust of the more squeamish members of the group. A little yellow bud was at the end of the vine, and it stretched out into the air, opening as it did. The forest air was sucked in through the centre of the bud stopping before it reached Rosaline's skin, and then it manoeuvred inside Rosaline's mouth.

"Oh my God!" gasped Rebecca, aghast. "Rosaline, take it out!"

Rosaline held up her right hand to silence her, and she breathed in the air in the vine. Almost instantly she bent over coughing, her body racking in its attempt to expel the air she had just sucked in from its fragile system.

"Rosaline!" cried Sarah and Jimmy, running over to the pained plant-girl. "Are you O.K?"

"Do I look like I'm-" began the plant-girl, before she began to wheeze in and out at a rapid pace. Rosaline slowly began to straighten her posture, all the while keeping a fast breathing pace. She started to cough again, and this time a lumpy, small purple crystal shot out of her throat and onto the forest floor, sizzling its way through vegetation in a matter of seconds.

"Ew…" said Jennifer. "What is that gook?"

"It's Miasma," panted Rosaline. "It crystallised…in my throat…so that means…that there's traces…of Miasma…in the air…"

"Is that bad?" asked Eddy.

"Very," answered Rosaline. "Something is wrong at Finedum. We need to get there quickly." Rosaline began to run through the woods, and the group followed her. Soon they came across little plots of vegetables, nestled between the trees, but they ignored them and followed after Rosaline, who was going very fast for someone who had nearly choked on material Miasma.

"It shows how much she cares about her peeps, huh Sockhead?" asked Eddy to his best friend, who was just managing to keep up with the rest of the group.

"Can't talk, Eddy," panted the running Edd. "Must conserve…energy…"

"Dor-" began Kevin, running past them with ease, before he bit his tongue, remembering how Zoe had reacted. Luckily, Eddy nor Edd had heard him, so he was saved a mocking from Eddy.

"Hurry!" insisted Rosaline, but the others couldn't increase their pace; it was easier for Floranuss rather than humans to traverse the undergrowth of the world's great forests. So Rosaline ran on ahead, zooming through the trees at sonic-like speeds, and leaving the others far behind her. They didn't have to worry about losing their way, though, because Rosaline had left a path of trampled vegetation in her wake.

Rosaline was standing on a small mound or grassy earth when they found her. She was silent and standing still, staring blankly at the town that lay before her. The kids began to walk over the hill, and stared in horror as they saw Finedum.

The entire town, its buildings similar to the buildings in Floriana, was covered in a thick curtain of Miasma, the toxic smog a layer over every building in the little secluded town. Nothing could be seen moving; the smog got thicker towards the centre of town, and hid everything from sight.

"Good Lord…" muttered Zoe in disbelief.

"It's the Miasma," croaked Rosaline, her voice breaking. "I don't know how, but its overrun Finedum." Rosaline collapsed on the ground, her body convulsing with silent snarls.

"Don't worry, Rosaline," soothed Jimmy softly, placing his hand on the Princess's shoulder. "We'll fix-"

Rosaline snarled like a vicious panther, and leapt at Jimmy, who yelped in both shock, pain and fear. The Princess lay on Jimmy, snarling at him, and he stared in fear at the Princess's new facial features. Her eyes were slits, like a feline's, and they were even darker purple than normal. Lines of purple were all over her body, her veins polluted by Miasma, and her teeth were sharper; not fangs nor huge, but slightly sharper like a cat's.. She hissed at Jimmy and moved closer to his face, trying to breath Miasma into his mouth/

"Get away from him!" barked Sarah, rushing at the Floranuss and punching her face. Mia-Rosaline howled like an injured beast, and was knocked away several metres by Sarah's punch.

"Jimmy!" cried Ed. "Did the Marrow-Sucker suck out too much of your marrow?"

"Shut up, idiot!" cried Sarah. Then she turned to her best friend: "Are you O.K., Jimmy?"

"I…I think s-so…" stammered Jimmy. "But w-why would R-Rosaline do t-that?"

At the bottom of the mound, Rosaline, who was looking like her usual self groaned, and began to shakily stand up.

"She's getting' up!" warned Eddy. The kids rallied their weapons, before Rosaline put up her hands.

"Wait!" she croaked hoarsely. "I'm…I'm sorry Jimmy. I didn't…mean to attack you…" She bent over coughing again, and Rebecca ran down to help her.

"Stay away!" growled Rosaline, her eyes beginning to turn dark purple again. Rebecca backed away, and Rosaline began to turn normal again.

"What is up with you?" asked Rebecca angrily.

"The Miasma that I inhaled," croaked Rosaline like a frog, "came from a Miasma Crystal."

"So?" asked Elle.

"The Miasma Crystal is sentient; it controls the Miasma it produces, unlike Miasma Plants, which just release the gas sporadically. If a Floranuss, and only a Floranuss, thank heavens, inhales Crystal Miasma, then they can be controlled by the Crystal, and used to spread Miasma. That's what's happened to me."

"How do we stop it?" asked Edd.

"Destroy the Crystal," began Rosaline, before she howled in agony and began writhing about on he floor. "Nazz!" she barked in a contorted voice. "Bind me with vines!"

"O.K. dude," said Nazz, pressing her hands together and closing her eyes.

"**Vine Bind**!"

Thorny green vines shot out of the grass, and began to wrap around the thrashing Rosaline. They pressed into her delicate skin, effectively restraining her against the ground.

"Thanks," whispered Rosaline, staring at the kids, before her eyes changed, her teeth elongated, and she began struggling against her restraints.

"Quickly!" said Michael. "Let's kick some Miasma Crystal butt!"

"It doesn't have buttocks," remarked Edd, but no one listened to him, as they started running downhill towards Finedum.

ooo

_Hungry_, whispered a disembodied voice.

"Quiet," ordered Faith, turning to the platform beneath her feet. The shadowy surface she was standing on was a perfect circle, and was floating through the darker regions of Areth Forest, where poisonous plants grew, the trees reached great heights, and where little light shone. Perfect for a demon like Faith.

_Sustenance is needed_, spoke the voice again, which seemed to be originating from the platform beneath Faith's feet.

"Shut up, Swarm!" barked Faith, and though the voice ceased, something else happened. A silhouette began to form behind Faith's right shadow, floating like a balloon in the air. It was a perfect silhouette, all of its body darkness except for two glowing yellow eyes (AN: Like a Black Mage's.)

_Kill and feed_, spoke the voice again, coming from the mouth-less silhouette.

"I swear, if you don't shut up I will throw you to something that kills shadows," said Faith, before forming a ball of darkness in the palm of her hand. "What is it, Scylla?"

"…"

"You've infiltrated the Temple, so what's wrong?"

"…"

"They're wanting pay? Just send them away; they're lesser beings, so they don't matter."

"…"

"WHAT? They're coming to me? Uggh, Goblins are so insolent…Never mind, I'll take care of them; return to the Underworld and inform Lord Shadeus of our success." Faith crushed the ball in her hand, and liquid shadow seeped out of the spaces between her fingers, a heavy substance like blowing sand.

_Eat Goblins_, spoke The Swarm, drifting around Faith's person.

"That I don't mind," smirked Faith darkly, before a horde of Goblins erupted from the ground in front of her, all exactly like the one that Edd had faced in the arena at Castle Areth.

"Oi! You!" barked one of the fat imps. In response, Faith shot a beam of purple lightning at it from her Trident, incinerating the unfortunate creature into a pile of ashes.

"She be a monster!" cried several Goblins, the mass cowering away from Faith's intimadting figure. By now, The Swarm had morphed in a silhouette of a falcon, and was perched upon Faith's shoulder.

"Swarm," spoke Faith, her dark voice clear in the forest air, "slaughter."

A mass of shadows erupted from the exploding Swarm, all heading for the screaming pack of Goblins. The Swarm sliced through body after body, the trees and plants bearing witness to a mass Goblin slaughter, courtesy of Faith and her right-hand minion, The Swarm. Soon every Goblin was dead, their green, bloodied flesh scattered over the forest floor. The Swarm, a human silhouette once more, returned from the carnage it had caused, shining a dark, yet luminescent purple.

"Excellent," purred Faith, placing her Trident upon The Swarm's forehead. It glowed the same colour as The Swarm, and absorbed the Goblin souls that It had collected. The Swarm lost its dazzle, once again becoming a human silhouette, both its skin and aura black as the blackest of all nights.

"Well, Swarm," asked Faith, as the platform began to move closer to the Temple Of Nature, "has your hunger been subsided?"

_Yes, Mistress. Swarm is full._

ooo

"This place reeks!" gagged Kevin, as he and the rest of the Chosen Ones ran into the smog covered Finedum.

"I agree, and the Miasma tastes horrible and sour!" spat Zoe.

"We don't have time for this!" called Edd to the others, as the Miasma was thick and reduced vision. "Let's go and destroy the Crystal, quickly!"

The kids began running towards the centre of town, but the Miasma got thicker and thicker until they could barely see in front of them. Ed, Edd, Eddy, Zoe and Rebecca were with each other when they heard Nazz scream.

"AAAAHHH! HELP ME!"

"NAZZ!" cried Edd, running blindly into the fog.

"Double D, wait!" cried Eddy, but it was too late.

"GOOD LORD!" they heard him scream. "HELP!"

"Double D's in trouble!" cried Ed, grabbing both Eddy and Rebecca and running through the mist, out of Zoe's sight.

"Hey, that tickles!"

"AGGH! Get off of me!"

"EEEKKK! IT'S IN MY SHOES!"

Zoe was now all alone, clutching her staff nervously, as the wails and cries of her captured comrades echoed all around her; yet she couldn't see any of them, merely adding to the effect of fear and suspense that pervaded Zoe's soul. She was about to travel into the misty fog when a hand touched her right shoulder.

"AAAAHHHH!" screamed Zoe, and, turning around to face whatever had touched her, whacked its head with her staff.

"Garba!" cried Rolf, clutching his head in pain. "Why did you hit Rolf's noggin with the doohickey of a staff, hand-in-pan Zoe girl?"

"I'm sorry, Rolf," apologized Zoe, "I thought you were what captured the others."

"Do not worry for Rolf," began the Monk, still clutching his head in pain.

"Did I hurt you, Rolf?" asked Zoe. "Let me see."

"It is fine, Zoe-girl," said Rolf, "for now is not the time for resting."

"Thank goodness we found you!" babbled Jimmy, as he and Elle appeared beside Zoe. "Sarah, Michael and Jennifer vanished!"

"Yeah," said Elle, who was looking slightly bored, "Sarah vanished, and then Michael and Jenny went to look for her. Luckily, we found you two, instead of whatever's been kidnapping the others."

"Well, we need to get going," said Zoe, "but before we do, I need to heal Rolf."

"It is fine," persisted Rolf, but Zoe made him lie down on the bracken path they were on, and moved his hands out of the way. Jimmy gasped and Elle grimaced as they saw the ugly, red welt on his forehead.

"What happened to Rolf?" asked Elle kneeling down to examine the bruise.

"I hit him with my staff," admitted Zoe, "because he crept up on me, and I thought he was a monster."

"Can I heal him?" asked Elle hopefully. "I've not really had a proper chance to use any White Magic spells, so this is a perfect chance."

"Sure," complied Zoe, moving out of the way so Elle was right beside the wound. Suddenly, Jimmy began coughing, kneeling on the ground from the searing pain in his throat.

"Jimmy!" cried Zoe, alarmed. "What's wrong?"

"My throat burns," breathed the boy, struggling for air.

"He must have inhaled too much Miasma!" said Zoe. "We need to try and breath as little as possible." She turned to Elle. "You heal Rolf, and I'll help Jimmy." Elle nodded, and placed her hands on Rolf's forehead.

"**Cure**."

Her hands glowed a pale, translucent blue, and Rolf's head was healed, the welt gradually vanishing as his body repaired itself. Meanwhile, Zoe had gently lain Jimmy on the ground, and placed her hands over his throat.

"**Poisona**."

Her hands glowed a peach-pink, and a sound, like steam cooling, came from Jimmy's mouth. The glowing stopped, and Jimmy was breathing normally again.

"Thank you, Zoe!" cried the ten-year old boy, hugging the girl who had saved his life.

"It's not a problem, Jimmy," she replied, "but we should keep on moving."

"Right," agreed Elle, and the foursome began to tread towards the centre of Finedum.

ooo

"Grrr…" growled Mia-Rosaline, struggling against her bonds. The vines that held her were laden with jaggy thorns, and they broke through the possessed Princess's skin, drawing bright green blood, as she tried to break through her bonds.

"Aaah!" she howled, like an animal, as a new vine sprouted up and wrapped around her face, except her eyes and mouth. "Mmmph!" she cried, as a thorn -less vine wrapped around her mouth, muffling her cries and howls. She closed her eyes, and stopped struggling; the vines began to relax, and loosened around her body slightly.

"Raah!" roared Rosaline, trying to now snap the loosened vines that held her. They instantly tightened again, and began to press into Rosaline again, making her bruised skin feel like it was on fire. She tried ripping, kicking and gnawing through the vines; but nothing prevailed, as she only got thorns lodged in every visible part of her body. By now, there were lots of little cuts on her skin, her dress was ripped at the bottom, and she (somehow) had a black eye. However, she had one last resort, so, summoning her strength, she managed to finally snap her bonds in half. Howling with triumph, she instantly stood up; only with a jolt of pain to sear up through her right leg. She bent over, on her knees, and began to inhale through her nose. The Miasma instantly began to work through her system, repairing her body. She stood up, snarled, and ran towards Finedum.

ooo

5 minutes earlier…

ooo

"What is that sound?" asked Elle curiously, as they neared they town centre where, oddly enough, the Miasma began to thin. The noise was like a ghostly wail.

"I don't know," remarked Jimmy, "but it's scary!"

"Oh my God…" said Zoe, stunned. "What _is _that?"

The other three looked where she was pointing, and were glad to see the Miasma Crystal, similar to the one in the Temple Of Light yet a dark, black-purple colour. Underneath it, however, was what Zoe had saw; a mass of swirling Miasma, with deformed, ghostly heads all over it. It advanced towards the group, who readied their weapons.

"Come to me…" a ghostly voiced breathed, and the Miasma Swarm opened all of its mouths, breathing out the gas with every breath.

"I have a plan," announced Zoe. "I'll take out the Crystal, while Rolf takes out that…thing. Elle and Jimmy, you wait by and see if Rolf needs any help"

"Right," agreed the others, and they split up to do their respective jobs.

"**Water Blast**!" barked Zoe, sending a stream of water shooting towards the Crystal. It bounced back, however, and shot straight at Zoe, dousing her and soaking her to the bone.

"**Libra**!" The familiar violet haze descended over the already purple space, and Zoe saw a stream of fire blazing towards the crystal, eventually causing it to crack and melt.

"O.K. then," said Zoe. "**Fire**!" (AN: Remember, Zoe is a Sage, so she can do Black Magic, like Fire.) A measly flame shot out of her hand before vanishing in two seconds.

"Really?" cried Zoe, before sitting on the ground and concentrating. She needed to muster her strength for this spell.

ooo

"**Rock Bomb**!"

A huge boulder shot out of the ground, and slammed right into the Miasma Swarm, the thing groaning with pain. Rolf ran up to the beast, and landed many punches to its base, before running back and launching another **Rock Bomb **at it.

"Your strength is commendable," said the Miasma Swarm, "though your efforts are futile. Connect with us. Become one."

"Rolf shall never join the accursed smog!" cried Rolf. "**Stone Smash**!"

Rocks began to float up from the ground, wrapping around Rolf's arms until they were the shape of two big mallets. Rolf ran up to the Miasma Swarm and smashed through it with his stone hammers. The creature evaporated, and Rolf sang in victory.

"Rolf has ended the accursed smog!"

Suddenly a bang was heard, and a wave of Miasma hit Rolf, knocking him to the ground as the fiend was destroyed.

"Go, Rolf!" cheered Elle and Jimmy, cheering for the victorious Rolf, when a distant snarl caught their attention.

"What was that?" asked Jimmy fearfully, quickly glancing around the semi-clear town centre.

"Uh-oh," said Elle. "That sounded like-"

"Rosaline!" squeaked Jimmy, pointing down the street they had walked up. Rosaline was far off, at the outskirts of town, though the Miasma-possessed Princess was running down the street, charging for them.

"Zoe!" screamed Elle. "Do something!"

"I'm working on it," said Zoe calmly, her eyes closed and her legs folded beneath her.

"Zoe!" shrieked Jimmy effeminately. "Please!"

"Don't rush me," warned Zoe, her voice firmer than before.

"Hurry it up, nose-in-pan Zoe girl!" pleaded Rolf, getting into a defensive stance in front of the two kids.

"Fine!" cried Zoe, standing up and glaring at the others.

"**Fire**!"

A small ball of orange, crackling flame bounced off of Zoe's right hand, shooting into the sky towards the crystal. As it got nearer, however, the flame's heat began to die down bit-by-bit.

"No!" panicked Zoe. "Come on, please work!" After what seemed like an eternity of the fire-ball floating towards the crystal, it finally collided with it; the crystal cracked, and shattered, the Miasma gas in the atmosphere slowly being absorbed by any trees in the area. Rosaline was now back to normal, and stumbled as she held her aching skull.

"What happened?" she mumbled to herself.

"Now!" she heard a voice say, and she looked up to Jimmy and Elle poised and ready to attack her.

"No, you two!" cried Zoe. "The Miasma is gone!" It was too late, however, as they had both launched their attacks.

"**Gust**!"

"**Vorpal Pulse**!"

A stream of wind, surrounded by pulsing blue rings, slammed into Rosaline, sending her flying through the air.

"Brilliant!" said Zoe sarcastically, running towards the unconscious Floranuss.

"Did we kill her?" asked Elle worriedly."No, she's just unconscious," reassured Zoe. Suddenly, she saw Edd standing near her in a daze.

"Eddward!" Rejoiced his sister, as the rest of the cul-de-sac kids began materialising out of thin air. "You're safe!"

"Of course I'm safe," said Edd, "but where was I?"

"You ran into the Miasma," explained Zoe, "like the others, and disappeared."

"Did I?" asked a puzzled Edd. "I'm sorry, I don't remember much…"

"Why did you that?" screamed Rosaline, who, in order so that she didn't rip them to pieces, was being pulled away from Elle and Jimmy by Ed and Rolf. Her hands were clawing at the earth, as her futile threats were ignored as she was dragged away.

"I guess we can stay awhile in Finedum," smiled Zoe, and she and Edd walked to a nearby Inn.

Ooo

AN: The first filler chapter is up, with an unfortunate encounter with Miasma at Finedum. I'd also like to mention that there is an "Edventure" page at Ed, Edd n Eddy Fanon Wiki, new and improved with lots of information; and even pictures! So, now's the time for today's "Fun Cul-de-sac Facts," and this time is Edd! Did you know:

1. That Edd's favourite colours are cerulean-blue and purple.

2. That Edd is a fanatic "Spore" player, as well as regularly playing "Black & White."

3. That Edd, like Zoe, is a secret game fan like Zoe, although his games are more God or design games.

4. That Edd is terrified of unseemliness because he once fell in a sewer when he was younger.

5. That Edd's favourite food is pasta; he especially like's the kind with food-colouring, although he isn't a big fan of sauces.

6. That both Edd and Zoe suffer from regular nosebleeds; Edd has around two every week, whereas Zoe could have one a day! (AN: I have this thing like Zoe, so I know how she feels)

7. That Edd's top three school subjects are Maths, Biology and English.

8. That Edd hates rudeness because he finds it incredibly insulting to his person.

9. That Edd loves "Final Fantasy" and "Dragon Quest".

10. That Edd doesn't like sports, although he is an O.K. swimmer and is also, secretly, a trampolinist with Zoe.

That's all this chapter! Next time: Eddy, "The Megalomaniac."

-LucasBravvus97


	10. Chapter 10: Marsh Mages

AN: So here is Chapter ten, another filler one! Don't worry though, for the next chapter will see the kids in the Temple of Nature!

Chapter Ten: Marsh Mages

"How can people drink this stuff? It's so bitter!"

Kevin slammed his drink down on the table, causing some of the herb-green liquid to spill out over the side of the jug. It was an hour after Finedum's Miasma cleansing, and all of the inhabitants had left hiding in the sewers to adore and praise and the Chosen Ones (and Rosaline). As they were the town's heroes, they were allowed to eat and drink all they wanted at the inn for free; naturally, they were putting that to good use.

"Kevin!" scolded Zoe, sitting across from him. "Don't say that; you'll insult the Floranuss!" Zoe and Kevin were sharing a booth at the back of the inn, which doubled as the town's main restaurant.

"Why does it matter?" asked the jock. "No one can hear us!"

"They might be able to. Anyway, I'm sure it's not that bitter."

"Ok then," smirked Kevin. "You try some."

"Sure," replied Zoe, taking a sip of the juice. At once, her face contorted, and her lips pursed. She managed a smile at Kevin, and swallowed the liquid.

"How was it?" asked Kevin smugly.

"Fine," whispered Zoe, before she began to wipe her tongue, trying to get rid of the bitter aftertaste.

"Hi!" greeted Rosaline, bounding up to the booth. "What're you doing?"

"Nothing," croaked Zoe, now gagging violently.

"Hey, Rosaline," said Kevin, "have some of this." He handed her the jug, and Rosaline took it, peering at what was inisde.

"Ooh, Pontata Juice! My favourite!" She raised the glass to her lips, and drained the herb-green liquid dry, slurping her lips as she finished her drink. She was surprised, however, to see Kevin and Zoe's, who was twitching violently on the floor, astounded expressions.

"What?" she asked innocently.

"You drank it all!" stated Zoe, climbing back into her seat.

"Yes, and?"

"Don't you find it bitter?"

"Of course I do, it's the most bitter thing I've ever tasted," replied Rosaline with a smile.

"Then how can you stand it?" asked an amazed Kevin.

"We Floranuss love bitter things, though we can't abide spicy stuff. Now come on; the others will be waiting to go.

"We're leaving now?" asked Kevin. "I thought we were going to stay awhile."

"No," replied the princess, "I want to get to the temple as soon as possible. It's already 1 o'clock, so we need to get going now." Rosaline skipped away from the booth, as Kevin and Zoe got up to follow her.

"So, that was nice!" said Kevin happily.

"I'm still angry with you," said Zoe matter-of-factly, and Kevin sighed as she walked on ahead.

ooo

"Shiny stuff…" whispered Ed, gazing at a set of armour through a shop window. He turned to Rebecca, who was leaning against the shop window. "Can we get that, Rebecca?"

"No, Ed!" snapped Rebecca huffily, as she played "The Sims 3" on her phone.

"Whatcha doing?" asked Ed, peering over her shoulder in an uncomfortable manner.

"Doing something on my phone," replied the girl, not moving her eyes.

"Can I phone someone?" asked Ed excitedly, trying to grab the mobile.

"No Ed!" screamed Rebecca, causing several passing Floranuss to look at her oddly. Rebecca giggled, albeit uncomfortably, before stamping on Ed's right foot, then placing her hand over his mouth to stop him from crying.

"I swear to God, if you don't cry, I'll buy you a chicken-shaped, jawbreaker-flavoured lolly." Rebecca instantly regretted saying that, as Ed, after squealing like a rabid fan boy, grabbed her by the arm and sped off towards a nearby confectionary emporium.

ooo

"Right, everyone's here," confirmed Edd, as the rather large group stood in the town square, "except Ed and Rebecca. Where are they?"

"Here we are!" called Rebecca, and Edd spun around to see them walking towards the other Chosen Ones, Ed sucking on a lolly and Rebecca eating a fizzy lace.

"What are you guys eating?" asked Marie curiously.

"Candy out of this _amazing _shop," gushed Rebecca. "They have chicken-shaped jawbreaker-flavoured lollipops-how convenient-and mini-Jawbreakers; which are mine!" barked Rebecca, swatting away Eddy's creeping hand from getting her sweet-filled bag.

"O.K," said Rosaline, "now that we're all definitely here, it's time for us to go to the Temple. This town is close to the Temple, but to get there we have to cross a marsh."

"A marsh?" shrieked Jimmy in horror.

"Yes," replied Rosaline, "the woods here are much more dangerous than near Floriana. Not everywhere is all hunky-dory in these woods you know. Besides, I'm sure that the marsh won't be that bad."

ooo

Half an hour of walking later…

ooo

"I take it back," said Rosaline dryly, "this marsh _is_ that bad."

The swampy land before them was ten times worse than Rosaline had thought it would be. Muddy, brown water was all over the landscape, bordered by very high reeds and bulrushes: making it somewhat like a murky, pungent maze. An assortment of animal noises and the mist rolling in made the swamp a very spooky, creepy place; somewhere where anyone that didn't have any business with the marsh would steer clear.

"The air here is yucky!" cringed Sarah, putting one of her small hands over her mouth.

"I think so as well!" agreed Elle, fanning the air in front of her face.

"I'm not bothered," commented Zoe, ignoring the horrible odour, "I can't smell anything."

"Good for ya, Zoe!" commented Marie. "It's only a little bad air."

"No, I seriously can't smell it," repeated Zoe. "The Pontata Juice affected me so much that I've temporarily lost my sense of smell."

"Is that all?" asked Lee, before walking on ahead with her sisters. Zoe glared at their backs, whispering something but covering it up with a cough: "(Cough) Barbarians… (Cough)".

"Right, so we should be able to find this path that goes straight through the swamp," explained Rosaline, looking over the reeds for the said path. "After that, it's just a half-an-hour walk to the Temple and then you guys can do your stuff."

"'K," replied Jennifer and several others. "So where is the path anyways that you're talking about?"

"I think it's over there," stated Jonny, pointing to a rather obvious, though rotting, sign that simply stated: "SWAMP PATH-TEMPLE OF NATURE AHEAD."

"Yay!" squealed Jennifer. "Now we don't have to walk through all that stupid marshy bog stuff!"

"Actually, we have to," said Edd.

Jennifer glared at the reserved boy. "Why's that?"

"The path has been blocked by that fallen tree," replied the capped boy, "and that has rendered it inaccessible to us."

"Hmm…" said Jimmy. "That's a problem."

"Indeed it is," replied Edd, "for we now have to find another way to travel through the swamp."

"Well, I can think of another way," murmured Rosaline, "but I'm afraid I don't want to use it, to be honest."

"Tell us anyway!" pressed Eddy.

"Well, this isn't really a swamp, though it is called one. It's really a lake covered with various plant life and exotic animals, giving it its stench. We could in fact use canoes to cross it, though I'm afraid that in order to attain enough for our group, we'll have to deal with the Marsh Mages."

"The who?" asked Kevin.

"Marsh Mages is another name for the Floramancers living here."

"What are Floramancers?" asked Nazz.

"If I've heard right, you're one," smiled Rosaline warmly. "Floramancers are a type of Mage with immense power over Nature. Their name comes from the title Mancer, which means a natural-born Mage with utter power over a certain Element. All Floranuss, including myself, are Floramancers, while several human families are; for humans, the ability is hereditary."

"I get it-sort of…" replied the blonde shyly, for fear of embarrassing herself due to her slight forgetfulness.

"But why don't you want us to deal with these Marsh Mages?" asked Rebecca.

"Marsh Mages are very tricky, and, because they live in an environment like this, have been brought up to fend for themselves and use others for there own gains."

"True," replied a voice in a slightly-Southern drawl, "but we are honest, if nothin'." The unknown voice had come from a barely noticeable wooden shack, squished haphazardly between two thick oaks. The person who had spoke was standing in the doorway of the house, leaning against the frame with a reed in their teeth. The person wore a hooded, long grey leather coat, obscuring their face from view. The person wore black gloves and boots, giving the others a slightly intimidated feel of them.

"I believe that you are an employee of the "Lake Beronus Canoe Rental" service?" asked Rosaline stiffly, as if she was suddenly threatened by something.

"I may be," replied the figure, his voice confirming him to be male, "or I may not be. It's up to ya to choose."

"We would like to rent several canoes for our group," said the Floranuss princess in a slight growl, "each one sitting six. What's the price?"

"Nothin'," smirked the Mage, "if y'all can make it 'cross alive."

"Whaddya mean by that?" asked Eddy, frowning.

"Y'all see. Canoes are over there," said Mr. Mage, jerking a thumb to a rotted jetty connected to several surprisingly well-kept canoes. He walked silently back to his shack, smirking to himself as he did so.

_They'll never make it 'cross the swamp. If they do, though, I gotta surprise for them…_

ooo

"Ok!" called Kevin, standing on shore next to one of the hollowed-out tree canoe. "I've given each of the team leaders a compass, which I handily kept from back in the cul-de-sac. Head north, and we should all reach the lake-banks in no time. Try to keep together, though; apart from the do-" Zoe shot an icy look at Kevin, causing him to blush and cough awkwardly. "I mean…uh…we don't want anyone getting lost!"

Kevin ceased shouting out commands, and gently got down into one of the two fronts of his canoe. Rosaline, as the guide, sat next to him, while Jimmy, Michael, Jennifer and Ed sat in the other seats.

In the second canoe sat Eddy and Zoe (in the front), Edd and May (the middle) and in the back sat Nazz and Marie. The third canoe had Rolf, Jonny, Lee, Rebecca, and Sarah, Elle and Lindsay (squished together in the back).

"Ok!" called Kevin. "Row!" His group pushed their canoe off of the muddy shore and into the murky water below. They began to simultaneously row the oars of the canoe, and soon disappeared into the vast forest of reeds.

"Very well, team!" called Edd from the middle of Boat Two. "Please start rowing!"

"Who died and made you leader?" asked Eddy sourly. Nevertheless, he began to row along with the rest of his team, and soon the second boat vanished into sea of marshes.

"C'mon!" cried Lee from the final boat. "We're losin' 'em!" They began to row as well, and all three canoes were trapped in the swamp. None of them saw a tiny ripple in the water they had just left, and a shiny black skull emerge from the murky waves, before submerging as soon as it had appeared.

ooo

"Why is this place so spooky?" asked Sarah timidly. "I don't like it one bit…"

"I think it's fabulous," replied Elle brightly. "The atmosphere of death in this place is abnormally high; it's ecstatic!"

"How cheerful…" muttered Rebecca sarcastically. "How do you think the others are doing?"

"Rolf believes they are fine," replied the Monk, nodding solemnly, "for they surely they will best any beings this accursed place throws at them."

"What do you mean by beings?" asked Jonny stupidly.

"He means monsters," replied Lindsay, pushing the oar out into the water. "It's best we're on our guard at all times. This was a bad place to come; the water's dirty, so we can't see what's in it, the reeds are perfect for hiding ambushers, and I can't see properly because of all the mist. Basically, if something attacks us, we're screwed."

"Don't say that!" cried Elle.

"Guys-" butted in Jonny, but Lee cut him off.

"Yeah Lindsay, lighten up."

"Um guys-" began Jonny again, but he was interrupted by Rolf.

"Rolf believes we shall all surely overcame any horrors we encounter in this cursed swamp."

"GUYS!" burst out Jonny, capturing the attention of everyone.

"What is it, Fat-Head?" asked Sarah, looking bored as Jonny talked.

"Plank asks that when you say monsters, do you mean that kind of thing?" Jonny pointed at the water to their right, and the others noticed just what he was looking at. It was a huge black thing, it's oily skin shining in the fading light, as its huge, unblinking eyes gazed at the seven Chosen Ones. It was floating on the water, next to some huge lily pads, making it's tadpole-like tail and flippers visible. It opened it's mouth, showing its toothless gums, and the kids breathed loud sighs of relief.

"It's got no teeth," said Lindsay," so that's a plus." The creature (which looked like a huge tadpole) began to move lazily through the water over to the canoe, and began to push it towards a waterway through the reeds that was devoid of any obstacles, though there were a few scattered, rotting logs here and there.

"Aw, it's helping us!" said Jonny happily. "Plank says it's because it knows we're the Chosen Ones."

"How the heck could it know we're Chosen Ones?" asked Sarah, looking at Jonny like he was stupid. "It's just a stupid over-grown fish thing."

"Hush!" barked Rolf, visibly startling Sarah. "Needle-tongue Sarah girl, say not such things, for Rolf believes you will anger the Goddess of Water!"

"How do you know that there even is a Water Goddess?" asked Lee, turning to the tanned boy.

"An olden myth from the Old Country tells of how a benevolent Goddess of Water-haavakc leurp-can help travellers and takes on many forms."

"Sure…" replied Lindsay mockingly, before the creature that had been helping them turned away from the boat and swam away.

"Great!" cried Elle. "Look what you both did!"

"I don't think Lindsay and Loud Mouth scared it away," said Lee slowly as she pointed to a semi-fallen tree. Perched at the top was a large, skeleton bird, its bones bleached white though matted with brittle black patches. It had a huge, curved beak, slightly ajar, and screeched violently at the Chosen Ones. It shot up into the air, and began a sky-dive towards the Chosen Ones.

"DOWN!" screamed Lindsay, and everyone except her fell to the base of the canoe. Lindsay took out her Magnum, loaded several magazines into the gun, and fired at the demonic bird. It screamed as part of its ribcage fell off, and slammed its large skeletal wings into Lindsay, knocking her to the floor. Lindsay bashed her head on the side of the canoe, causing it to violently shudder, and she blacked out.

"Raaahhh!" screamed Sarah angrily, swinging her giant shuriken at the bird. It narrowly evaded the attack, and the shuriken came back to Sarah. She snarled in anger, and vowed to hit it next time. She rooted about in her holsters, and began to launch kunai after kunai at the bird (known on Gaia as a Revenant Crow). The bird was fast, though not fast enough, as every kunai hit it, causing its brittle bones to break apart easily. The bird began to descend to the water below, and Jonny was open to make the final attack. He leapt upwards, brandishing his spear, and impaled it right through the Revenant Crow's skull. The monster gave a final feeble caw before falling downwards into the waves, resulting in its defeat.

ooo

"Doesn't this remind you," asked Edd, "of the time we all went camping in 5th Grade and had to canoe through that marsh, and we all ended up getting lost?"

The others in Boat Two nodded, each of them recollecting several memories of that trip, which now seemed so long ago.

"So, do ya think any monsters will try to pummel us while we're here?" asked May in her usual unfeminine voice.

"I hope so," said Marie, cracking her fists, "I've not had a proper chance to pummel some asses into oblivion!"

"Marie, please control yourself!" scolded Edd, frowning at her.

"Sorry, muffin," replied Marie sweetly, batting her eyelids and advancing towards the now-horrified hat-wearing Ed.

"P-pardon me, M-Marie, but what a-are you d-doing?" asked Edd, sweat begin to tingle down his forehead.

"Aw," pouted Marie, "can't I even give my little muffin a kiss?" Marie began to lean towards him, and Edd's ivory face was now ashen with terror.

"Marie, I honestly don't-"

Edd was interrupted when something large and snaky snatched him off the deck. He cried out in terror, and was flung far across the swamp and collided with a rotting oak. It broke into various pieces of wood, and Edd was knocked out. The others stared in shock at the beast that had attacked Edd.

The Scydra was native to Lake Beronus, and was a very rare, extremely dangerous beast. It had a red, lizard-like body, with four short, yet clawed, stubby legs. It had seven draconic heads, al writhing about in a tangled mass of flesh, and surprisingly hair. At the end of each long, lizard neck was the head of a snake like creature with wild, frizzy black hair. The Scydra snarled viciously, and slammed the boat, knocking Zoe and Nazz into the water. The two girls managed to cling onto a floating log, but they were out of the battle, making May, Marie and Eddy the only ones able to fight it.

"Finally!" called Marie enthusiastically. "Now the time for me to beat this creep into the ground!"

"Yeah!" cried May in a peppy manner, giving an air-punch.

"Um…sure…" said Eddy, looking nervously at the two sisters. "Who's gonna make the first move?"

"That'll be me!" grinned Marie, pulling out her harp and placing her fingers on several of the strings. She played a few notes, and they could be visibly seen floating from the harp and towards the Scydra. They burst on impact, and the Scydra growled; that attack had hurt. "Want some more?" taunted Marie. "Then take a load of this!" The female Bard began to play a fast-paced, rock-music anthem on the harp, and the notes began to become jagged and larger. They beast began to howl in pain from the enchanted musical onslaught, and one of its heads zoomed for Marie's neck. She managed to dodge the attack, but the musical chain was broken, and her harp flew out of her hands.

"Leave my sister alone!" snorted May, like a boar. She pulled out her **Omnitome** and began to leaf through it, looking for a suitable spell that could defeat the Scydra.

"Just leave it to me!" called an exasperated Eddy, as May looked for the spell and Marie searched for her harp on the solid land, where it had presumably landed. He brandished **Gladys Touch**, and launched himself at the Scydra. He cut one of its necks with the knife, and the creature flopped down on the ground, momentarily stunned. The stump of the cut-off neck oozed scarlet blood, and the creature growled at a smirking Eddy. It snapped its neck down at him, and bit right through his left arm. Eddy cried out in shear pain, as the head that had hit him retracted back to its main body. Eddy tried to plot out the searing pain in his arm, but he slowly knelt on his left knee as the pain began to worsen, and hot tears pricked his eyes.

"Eddy, you ok?" asked Marie.

"Marie, look!" called May suddenly. "His arm's hurt!"

"Eddy, get up and fight like a man!" barked Marie roughly, and though he wanted to, Eddy had to sit out of the battle for a while due to his first severe injury.

"Guess that leaves us, huh?" asked May, a tone of slight nervousness in her snort-like voice.

"Yeah, but no worries; we can take this creep!" smirked Marie darkly. She took out her harp, found after a long search, and began to play another rock-anthem; slower than the first one, yet much louder. The enchanted, scrawny-looking notes took longer to hit the Scydra, which didn't dodge them as it was a relatively thick monster, but hurt a lot more than the previous barrage.

"**Divine Gust**! **Freedom of Aria**!"

The sudden gust of wind that formed from seemingly nowhere hit the Scydra instantly, pushing it back several feet. By now, it was pretty beaten up; though it was still very resilient. Marie and May began to attack the monster while Zoe and Nazz, now thankfully on dry-land, watched.

"Do you think we should help them?" asked Nazz quietly.

"I don't think they require any assistance," replied Zoe, "as they seem to be perfectly capable of holding their own. Even though we're on another world, they're still the same Kanker sisters."

"What about Eddy?"

Zoe suddenly frowned. "He looks in need of help, but the Scydra always has one head on us and one on him. If we tried to re-enter the battle or help Eddy, it may only further provoke the Scydra."

"You're right," replied Nazz, though she still looked very worried. Then she began to look slightly angry. "By the way, who does Marie think she is?"

Zoe glanced at her best friend who was attempting to dry her dress with a handkerchief she had brought with her. "I mean, doesn't she get that, like, Double D doesn't like her? At least not in _that _way?"

Zoe, wringing out her hair, looked at her best friend and smiled knowingly. "Nazz, am I detecting a hint of jealously at how Marie is infatuated with Eddward?"

"No, I just think it's sad how she, like, treats him," replied the cheerleader. "Anyway, you like Kevin!"

Zoe merely looked at Nazz, who was expecting her to deny the accusation, before calmly replying, "True. Kevin is a good person…though his temper needs controlling."

Just then did Nazz notice something. "Zoe, look! The Scydra's distracted; now's our chance!"

"Let's hurry then!" said Zoe, when she glanced at her brother. He was still out cold on the ground, making him the only person out of the fight.

_I don't want to leave Eddward by himself in a place like this, especially when he's unconscious, _thought Zoe, _but the sooner we defeat this monster, the sooner we can help him._

"Zoe, are you coming along or not?" called Nazz. Zoe snapped out of her reverie to see Nazz already with the others. Eddy had been healed, and he was ready to fight again. Zoe stepped on to the marshy water.

"**Water Walk**!"

Zoe began to walk on the water, her feet silent as she gently walked, almost floated, on its surface. The Scydra merely snarled at her in annoyance, and swiped its claw at her. Zoe vanished under the water, and the beast growled again.

"Take this!" cried Eddy, slashing violently at the beasts necks. He somehow managed to slice them all off, leaving a completely headless Scydra lying there. The others began to cheer except Zoe, who emerged from under the water, completely dry (AN: One of her abilities as the Chosen One of Water is to only get wet when she wants) and looking rather worried.

"Eddy! What have you done?" asked Zoe.

"I killed this thing," he said proudly. "May checked in her book: it's called a Scydra."

"Oh my God…" said Zoe in disbelief.

"What is it?" asked Marie.

"Isn't it obvious? It's name is a portmanteau of Scylla and Hydra, two Greek mythical monsters, and if a Hydra's head is cut off…"

"What?" asked Eddy, now sounding slightly worried.

"Haven't you ever seen _Hercules?"_ asked Zoe. The others looked extremely alarmed, and each of them gasped as the neck stumps of the Scydra squirmed and gurgled with horrendous noises. Until two heads formed…from each stump! The now fourteen-headed Scydra cackled in monstrous glee at the terrified youngsters, and breathed a jet of fire at them like a dragon. The five Chosen ones were surely done for.

"**Thermal Shield**!"

A wall of hot, licking flames materialised before the cowering kids, and grew tenfold in size as it absorbed the flame from the Scydra. It roared in aggravation, and the others were shocked as it tried to suck up the flame shield.

"**Pyro Slash**!"

A straight line of fire appeared out of nowhere, revealed to be Edd holding his now-flaming blade. He ran over the water, his feet forming steam clouds whenever they came into contact with the moisture. He stopped next to the others, and glared at the Scydra. It lunged for him, and Edd leapt into the air, slashing at it's neck.

"Eddward, no!" cried Zoe, though he had already cut off the neck. He pointed to the wound with his left hand.

"**Fire**!"

A tongue of fire shot from his middle finger to the stump, and began burning it with fiery passion. The stump began to blacken and crust into flaky, charred pieces of flesh. Edd slashed and burned a second neck, leaving only five to go.

"Let's help Double D!" exclaimed Nazz, bashing the body of the Scydra with her staff. The others soon joined in, and soon there was only one final head left. The beast looked at them angrily, its face red with rage at the destruction of its accompanying heads. It slammed its front claw on the ground, creating a slight tremor and a large wave of murky, dank swamp water.

"Like, look out!" called Nazz, before the group were submerged by the water. They were all forced to the floor, leaving the six of them very vulnerable. The Scydra towered ominously over them, deciding who to devour first. It settled on Nazz, and began to slowly leant towards her. Nazz was too busy coughing up water from her flooded lungs to notice.

"**Steel Slam**!"

A rock, like an extraterrestrial meteor, zoomed from the right of the area and right into the Scydra's skull. It vanished in black clouds instantly, meaning that the long battle was over. Edd got up from the moist earth of the swamp, and saw the other groups gathered around them, with Ed beaming from ear-to-ear; he had cast the spell.

"Thanks, Ed," said Eddy, "but we could have beaten that thing up on our own."

"Eddy, please!" pleaded Edd. "That was a very difficult monster to defeat; be thankful we managed to weaken it enough for Ed's final blow."

"True," said Rosaline," but I have to say something."

"What?" asked each kid simultaneously, slightly freaking Rosaline out.

"We've been here too long. We should have got to the temple long before, but for various reasons we've had to take several detours."

"That can't be helped," stated Jimmy.

"I know, but the Temple isn't far from here. If we move, quickly, we should reach it shortly."

"Then what are we waiting for?" asked Michael.

"Let's go!" exclaimed Jennifer, and several others cheered along with her, as they emerged onto the far side of the swamp.

Finally beginning the last leg of their journey to the Temple of Nature.

ooo

"Guys," said Rosaline simply, as she and the Chosen Ones emerged into a large, spacious clearing, bordered on all sides by various trees. The grassy earth was carpeted with blooming wildflowers, and various animals could be seen wandering around the grove. "We're here."

The others gasped at the sight before them. At the far end of the clearing was a large, stone building. Many windows on it, stained with the colours of the rainbow, let in plenty of sunlight inside, while a large, wooden door was the entrance to the Temple. It was built in a sort of Mexican-pyramid style, with each floor (that was going upwards, at least) smaller than the last. The Temple backed onto a very large tree, which stretched to unimaginable heights. The tree was part of the Temple, for spiral plank walkways could be see connecting branches of the tree, and many small, oval windows were cut out of the bark.

"Rolf has never seen such a wondrous sight…" stated Rolf quietly.

"Indeed, it is a beautiful architectural masterpiece," agreed Edd.

"It's enchanting…almost haunting in a manner," completed Elle, adding her two cents into the conversation.

"So what do we do now?" asked Sarah.

"You travel through the Temple, and find the Crystal of Nature," replied the Floranuss princess.

"Why do we have to do that _now_?" whined Eddy. "I'm bushed from all the fighting."

"Eddy!" chided Zoe. "Didn't you pay attention to King Edward? It's imperative that we get those Crystals before Faith does."

"Lest all matter be destroyed, and creation descends into eternal darkness," said Rolf ominously, almost as though he were quoting someone.

"How the hell could you know that, Rolf?" asked Kevin confusedly.

"Rolf has already explained once before, hat-wearing Kevin-boy, at the commencement of our important quest," stated the farmer. "A prophecy of Rolf's home country tells of the Chosen Ones and their quest to rescue the twelve Crystals."

"How do you know that?" asked Eddy quietly, rubbing his chin in thought. "It's all very odd, if you ask me."

"Nevertheless, we have to go," said Rosaline. The twenty-one strong group walked up to the doors, when Nazz, as though in a trance, walked right up to them. Her eyes glowed green, and when she touched the door, a ripple of magic energy spread over it.

"Whoa!"

"Ooooh!"

"Cool!"

The door glowed the same green as Nazz's eyes for a few seconds, before the light disappeared. The door began to slowly open, and the group advanced into the Temple.

Meanwhile, at the other end of the clearing was Faith slowly emerging from a tree shadow. She looked mildly annoyed at something.

"The Scydra should have killed some of them," she muttered, "yet it failed humiliatingly in its task…" She suddenly looked upwards, towards the top of the giant tree, and grinned darkly. "Not all of the Chosen Ones will be able to advance through the Temple of Nature, and we'll take care of them, won't we, Swarm?"

_Yes, mistress_, sounded a voice. Faith cackled with manic glee, and was absorbed by the shadows around her…

Ooo

AN: And so begins the end of this arc! Faith's word at the end was correct: due to the amount of characters, only six (including Rosaline) will travel through the Temple, and I have yet to decide who. Alright, some important news this chapter: I'd like to introduce Lilienne!

(A tall, blonde teenager appears out of the darkness, walking towards me (the author). She wears a long, silk black gown, split down the middle and showing some of her legs, and lace-up golden sandals. She wears a black cape, trimmed with silver satin, and has bright green eyes. She looks rather serious and her face is emotionless.)

Me: Hey Lilienne!

Lilienne: Greetings, Lucas.

Me: So, why don't you tell the readers why you're here? Tell us a bit about yourself.

Lilienne (frowning): Thy personal matters are not of ye's concern. Keep ye nose out of the affairs of others, lest yr face the wrath of people like thyself.

Me (looking scared): Right…Anyways, why are you here?

Lilienne: As part of thy plan to rid thyself of any past sins, thou has volunteered to assist ye chronicling the tales of the Chosen Ones.

Me: Ok! Why don't you announce this week's "Fun Cul-de-sac Facts!"

Lilienne: This week: Eddy, "The Megalomaniac." Did ye know that:

1. Eddy's favourite colours are gold and silver?

2. Eddy has a secret passion for mechanics, and could construct machines as well as Edd can?

3. Eddy is actually very smart: he is just extremely lazy?

4. Eddy is scared of birds because once, at the beach, a flock of seagulls attacked him. However, he tells people it's because birds steal his money.

5. Eddy hates people try to outsmart him, and that he can become embarrassed very easily by any situation?

6. Eddy's three favourite school subjects are Business Management, Chemistry and Drama?

7. Eddy's favourite food is bacon: he can't get enough of it, as well as ham.

8. Eddy is very talented at badminton, however, as mentioned before: laziness.

9. Eddy is secretly glad that Faith gave him hair, as he had been trying to grow it all his life?

10. When it comes down to it, Eddy cares deeply for his friends. However, his obsession with money can cloud his judgement.

Lilienne: So now that ye know about Eddy, next time shall be Miss Nazz, "The Unattainable Love Interest." Farewell, all those who read this. Review wisely, lest the shadows capture your souls!

Me: Ok…Anyways, hope you like this chapter; please review!

-LucasBravvus97


	11. Chapter 11: The Temple of Nature Part 1

AN: So I have an announcement; I am only going to continue stories that I think are very important, such as this, ETUD and even Resident Ed! However, I am giving all of my attention to this story.

Chapter Eleven: Temple of Nature Part One

"Wow!" cried Ed, as the group walked into the Temple of Nature. He was the only one to speak out his thoughts of the sacred building; only the others made gasps, or oohs and ahhs. The inside of the building was basically a large hall, with rows of wooden seats which were the kind you would find in a place or worship. At the place where an altar would be was instead a person standing there.

She had long, earth-brown hair, which fell freely to her hips. Her eyes were as green as a glass sea, and she had a kind, warm expression on her face. Her skin was ivory white, for some odd reason, and she wore a long, hand-woven dress, with short, shoulder-length sleeves and a skirt reaching her ankles. The dress was as green as summer leaves, and she wore brown leather sandals upon her dainty feet. On her dress were three brown rings, stitched into the fabric, around her waist; and she just seemed so natural in her appearance, as if nothing about her was fake at all.

"Hey!" called Kevin, beginning to walk towards her. "Who's that?"

"Kevin-" began Rosaline, but she went unheard as Kevin reached for the woman, who hadn't said anything the whole while, merely smiling at the group.

"Excuse me, but what's your-whoa!" Kevin snapped his hand back as he touched her skin; she was as cold as ice!

"Is she frozen?" asked Jonny.

"No," explained Rosaline, "she's not a real person; she's a statue of Natura, Goddess of Nature. The dress is made of emerald, the eyes jade, and the skin marble, with other precious jewels in the mix."

"Wow," commented Nazz.

"So anyway, where's the Crystal?" asked Eddy.

"I don't know," admitted Rosaline, "because the only time I ever come here is once a year on the Festival of Natura to worship with my family. I haven't seen the Crystal before."

"Aw, great…" sighed Sarah. "So what do we do?"

"Split up and look for clues," giggled Rebecca, and a few of the others (except a confused Rosaline) laughed as well. The group then dispersed, and began looking for hints as to the location of the Crystal. Zoe and Edd, the twins on their own, were looking at a wall for any hidden switches etc.

"Hey guys," called Rosaline, walking over to them; followed by Nazz, Eddy and Ed. "Found anything yet?"

"Not really," sighed Zoe, placing her hand upon the wall. Somethin clicked, and the group of six began screaming as they hurtled down a slide-like passage that had opened in the floor. The others looked at the spot where their friends had just hurtled into unknown territory…

ooo

"AAAAAAHHHH!"

The six of them were all screaming their heads off, as they banged off the slide walls and into each other. Edd seemed the most frantic, warning people to stay away from his hat.

"Rosaline!" cried Eddy. "What's freakin' happenin'?"

"I don't know!" screamed the Floranuss, as they went in an upside-down loop. Ed, who seemed to be the only one remotely enjoying himself, began to look a little green, his hand held over his mouth.

"Guys…" he moaned softly. "I don't feel well…"

"Good Lord!" screamed Zoe in exasperation. "That's all we need!"

"Hey look!" cried Nazz. "There's a light ahead!"

"So there is, N-" began Edd, before the group hurtled out of the hole and into a bed of multi-coloured flowers. With groans of pain, the group managed to get up and examine their surroundings.

They were in a sort of entrance hall, very similar to the one above ground; except for the fact that the walls were made of wood, as though they were inside a tree. The floor was grass, and nothing but grass, with a layer of thick, moist soil underneath. The bed of flowers was next to the slide, which protruded from the ceiling. A passage was at the other end of the room, leading to who knows where.

"What is this place?" asked Edd incredulously.

"I think I know," said Rosaline. "This must be the fabled original Temple of Nature!"

"What?" asked Ed.

"According to historical documents in the castle library, the Temple of Nature was built to house the Crystal of Nature, and because of that monsters were placed throughout the Temple as the Crystal's guardian. So another Temple was built upon the original one, and this new one was used as a place to worship Natura."

"My word, that's quite a feat," remarked Edd.

"Indeed," continued Zoe, "but how do we find the Crystal?"

"We just travel through the Temple until we get to the Crystal. Simple!"

"What are we waiting for then?" asked Nazz.

"Yeah, we need to hurry," added Eddy.

"What about the others, though?" asked Zoe worriedly. "Will they be ok?"

"They'll be fine," reassured Rosaline. "As long as they're in the Temple of Nature-above ground-they'll be fine."

ooo

"I wonder how the others are getting on," said Kevin to Michael. When the six members of the group had vanished, the others had decided to sit outside the Temple, basking in the sunlight.

"They'll be fine," replied the blonde jock. "They probably found a hidden passage or something, and are searching for the Crystal of Nature thing as we speak."

"I hope you're right," said Rebecca, popping up between the two. "I'd hate it if anything happened to Edd and Zoe and we weren't there to help."

"Let's just enjoy the day," pressed Michael firmly, ending the conversation. "It's a nice day, like summer back home, so why waste it worrying?" He took off his helmet, and placed it on the grass next to him, lying back as he did so.

"I agree," said Kevin, lying on his back with his hat tipped over his eyes.

"Suit yourselves," said Rebecca sarcastically, walking back inside to look more at the inside of the Temple.

ooo

Meanwhile, beneath the earth, Ed, Edd, Eddy, Zoe, Nazz and Rosaline were busy walking along the passageway towards destination unknown. Torches were placed along the walls to provide light, but instead of flames at the tips were glowing green spheres, which Rosaline called "Glow Spores".

"When will we get there?" whined Eddy tiredly.

"Get where?" asked Zoe. "We don't even know where we have to properly go!"

"Hey, don't blame me for being tired!"

The group continued along, until they reached another room. A spiral staircase at the very centre, crawling up like a vine around a solid oak trunk, lead upwards; and to the Crystal. The group began to walk upwards, in a line one after the other, until they reached the very top. They emerged into another room, but this one was much more different than before.

It was like they were inside the massive tree they had seen earlier. The trunk of the oak (like a tree inside of another) continue up into the heights of the plant, with another staircase still going around it. However, part of the bottom was missing, which in turn meant the Chosen Ones weren't able to climb up the stairs.

"What do we do now?" asked Nazz simply.

"Well, there's three passages over there," stated Edd, pointing to three openings branching off in different direction in the tree. "I saw we spilt up into pairs, and each pair takes a different route."

"Well then," said Zoe, "I'd like to go with Ed." She grabbed the big lummox's jacket, and smile at him.

"Thanks, Zoe!"

"I want to go with Double D," said Nazz sweetly, "because I know he'll protect me."

"Why, t-thank you, N-Nazz," stammered Edd, blushing slightly as he did so. Nazz giggled even more, her voice sounding like peeling bells in the hollow, immense chamber.

"Guess that means it's me and Rosie here together then," nodded Eddy.

"Since when have I been Rosie?" asked Rosaline, sounding somewhat offended.

"Since now. It's a little nickname for you. Like it?"

"Not particularly, no."

"Too bad," replied the short Thief nonchalantly. He grabbed Rosaline's frail arm, and sped off with her down the chamber.

"See you all later!" called Rosaline, her voice echoing off the chamber walls. "Eddy, let go!"

"We're off as well then," said Zoe. "Shall we, Ed?"

"Yippee-kayay, bucko!" replied the goofball with a silly grin. He sped off down one of the other passages, leaving behind a tail of dust in his wake.

"Oh, Ed," sighed Zoe, beginning to run after him. "Lovable oaf…" She then disappeared into another room.

"Guess that leaved us then, dude," said Nazz.

"Very well then," nodded Edd. "Let's go and find that Crystal!"

ooo

"What's this room?"

Eddy's voice sounded even louder than was naturally possible in the large room, which was shaped like a dome. On a high-up ledge was a chest of sorts, which looked very special, even if it was just plain wood. The area of floor beneath it was covered in different coloured tiles, with four green blocks on the sidelines, each one with a unique symbol; a leaf, a blade of grass, a flower and a tree.

"I don't know!" sounded Rosaline, already sounded exhausted at spending a mere five minutes in the loudmouth Ed's company.

"Look at those blocks," pointed Eddy. "They look like they're worth some moolah."

"Moolah?" asked Rosaline. "What's that?"

"It's a nickname for a currency on my world," explained Eddy. "I know that the correct term is a dollar, but moolah sounds way better!"

"Not really…" muttered Rosaline, under her breath so that Eddy wouldn't hear her. "Now, let's see what we have to do here." She gazed at the patterned tiles on the floor, each one either red, yellow, green or blue, while Eddy looked over the building block-like squares."

"Hey Rosie!" called Eddy.

"What!" cried Rosaline back, sounding aggravated.

"Look at these tiles," remarked the short boy, pointing to four green ones all in the centre. "They all have the same markings as those four block thingies."

"You're right!" replied the Floranuss, sounding mildly surprised. "Perhaps what we need to do is match each block to the tile with the matching symbol on it. If the block is green, then I think we can only go on the green tiles."

"What happens if we go on different coloured tiles?" asked Eddy curiously.

"Something bad, probably," shrugged Rosaline. "Now, do you want to push it or should I?"

"You can push it," yawned Eddy boringly.

"You do treat a lady well, don't you?" remarked Rosaline sarcastically. Nevertheless, she walked up to the block with the leaf symbol on it. She pushed it onto a green tile, when a sudden bang ringed in her ears.

"What the-" gasped Eddy, before a black, portal-like hole opened up in the centre of the floor, and a large, misshapen creature emerged. Tow pairs of red legs, with broad circular feet were at the base of the creature. At its waist, instead of its upper body, was a large hand, read as well but with a gaping, slathering mouth in he palm. At the end of each beefy finger was a circular eye, with the pupil a dark green and the iris gray.

"Oh no!" cried Rosaline, but before she or Eddy could act, the creature bounded over to the block and knocked it back to its starting position. It cackled gleefully before disappearing in another black portal.

"What was that freak?" asked a dumbfounded Eddy.

"A Creep Hand," explained Rosaline. "They're these freaky monster things that try to stop you solving puzzles, apparently. It must be that whenever we move a block, we release a Creep Hand."

"Great..." sighed Eddy bitterly. "So, what do we do now?""Isn't it obvious?" replied the Floranuss female a little snootily. "We move the blocks anyway!""How do we do that if those Creep Hand things are gonna try and stop us?""I'll move the blocks and you fight them off," replied Rosaline. "After all, as a Thief, you should be able to move quickly in order to stop them obtaining the blocks.""Sure," mumbled Eddy, "leave it all to me...""I'm glad you agree!" replied Rosaline, in a manner that seemed to ooze a sense of justice; and revenge. She walked over to the first block again, and stood behind it again. "Ready?"Eddy brandished his knife, and gave Rosaline a thumbs up. "Let's do this!" Rosaline pushed the block, and began to heave it over the green tiles. Almost instantly, a Creep Hand popped up again from the wooden ground, and ran over to Rosaline and its target, the green block. This time, however, Eddy was ready and intercepted the attack, slicing at the creature and sending it back a few feet. The monster snarled at this unexpected attack, when it noticed that Rosaline had gotten the block nearer the centre than in her first attempt. The five eyes in the fingers began to narrow, and the creature leapt up and ran to Eddy, who jabbed his knife at the mouth in the palm of the hand. A red tongue shot out and grabbed the knife, flinging it and Eddy off into a corner of the room."Oh no!" cried Rosaline, sounding genuinely worried. "Eddy!""Reap-reap!" chortled the hand, and began to menacingly advance towards the block and Rosaline. The princess panicked for a second, before noticing a crucial fact; the green tile with the same symbol that the block had engraved on it was right before her. She looked at the Creep Hand, who was still a few metres away."Panitta!" smirked Rosaline, before giving the block one last push. As the leaf symbols on the tile and block met, they began to glow, and locked into place. The Creep Hand shrieked and vanished. By now, Eddy had recovered and was walking over to Rosaline."Good work, Rosie!" congratulated Eddy. "What was that word you said to it, though?""It's Floranian for "Goodbye"," replied Rosaline. "Now, are we going to get the next blocks done?"Eddy and Rosaline managed to get the leaf, flower and grass tiles and blocks together, despite the fact that for every time they done a block, the number of Creep Hands that appeared increased. As soon as Rosaline pushed the fourth block, with the tree symbol engraved upon it, four Creep Hands appeared from the floor, all determined to stop Rosaline from getting the block into the centre."Take this, boys!" cried Eddy, before rapidly slashing his knife across the centre of two Creep Hands."Reeaaaapppppp!" cried one, while the other buckled down on its red knees. One of the other two Creep Hands tried to jump Eddy, while the other tried to knock him off his feet. Eddy impaled his faithful knife in one of the eyes of the Creep Hand who had grabbed it; it cried out, and Eddy wriggled free from its grasp.

"Take this!" cried Eddy, a new power surging through him, unlike any feeling he had ever physically experienced before.

"**Beam Bomb**!"

An explosion of light rocked the chamber, and enveloped the panicking Creep Hands as they tried in vain to flee. Rosaline was violently thrown back several feet, while the block, in a lucky fluke, was instead rocked forward, connecting with the matching tile. The now-four glowing blocks began to descend into the earth, while a set of stairs began to ascend, making the chest on the ledge accessible.

"Uggh…" coughed Rosaline, dispelling dust from her lungs. The smoke from the blast cleared, and Rosaline got up to see Eddy grinning broadly at her. "That was you, I take it?" she asked dryly.

"You bet!" replied the short Ed happily. He bounded up the stairs to the chest, and hovered over it with a greedy look in his eyes. "Now, let's see what we've got here…" He opened the chest, and reached inside, withdrawing a simple metal key as the contents.

"Hmm…" said Rosaline. "This key could be valuable; let's keep it, and meet up with the others."

ooo

"So," began Nazz, "where do you think this takes us?"

Both Nazz and Edd were walking down a narrow, twisty passage; much like the first one they had walked down. They had to take a turning every few feet, and the shadows cast by the glowing lights on the walls made the dark atmosphere quite creepy.

"I'm not positive," replied the hat-wearer. "Hopefully, we'll find the Crystal itself; or at least a clue to its whereabouts." The duo reached a door, as the passage broadened out slightly, and pushed it open. They emerged into a dome shaped room, which had windows on the side. Nazz looked out, and saw a view of Areth Forest, and parts of the giant tree, all around.

"Awesome!" she giggled gleefully, when she noticed a totem pole in the centre of the room. It was about four metres tall, and had a barely viewable wooden chest at the top. Many intricate passages of space lined the surface of the pole, and there were two vials of liquid hanging off a rope on a wooden peg.

"Should we drink them?" asked Edd.

"Let's try and see," replied Nazz, and they both downed the drinks. Almost at once, Nazz collapsed, while Edd stumbled a bit before falling blindly downwards like his companion.

ooo

"Where are we, Double D?" asked Nazz. They had both awoken to find themselves in a strange, narrow passage, with a precipice to their left.

"I know this may sound impossible, but it appears as though the drink reduces our size!"

"You mean…?"

"We're in the totem pole! I think we have to climb to the top and get the treasure."

Nazz and Edd began to walk, when a sudden rumbling noise shook the pole. To their horror, the pole was now sinking into the earth; them along with it!

"Oh dear!" cried Edd. "Nazz, we must hurry!" He grabbed her hand, and began to run, her being pulled along with him while keeping the pace. They arrived at a fleet of stairs, and began to run up, the gurgling soil behind them a constant reminder of the danger they were in. The stairs wound up around the pole, and they had ascended two feet's worth of staircase when Edd stopped, gasping for breath.

"I can't go on…" he wheezed tiredly.

"You have to!" urged Nazz, as the rising soil grew closer. She began to pull him, and he somehow managed to stay on his feet. They soon reached the top of the totem pole, thought they were both exhausted by this point. Nazz walked out into the top of the pole, and saw a huge chest before her. She turned around, but to her horror couldn't see Edd! "Double D! Where are you?"

"Nazz, help me!"

She could hear the desperation in a frantic Edd's voice, and raced over to the opening she had just emerged from. She looked down, and saw that Edd's foot had caught on a gnarled old root.

"Double D!" she gasped. "Are you ok?"

"No!" he replied back. "My foot is caught, and the rising soil levels will soon be upon me! Can you help me?"

"Of course!" she replied. She knelt down, and examined the root. "Hmmm…It's all twisted and stuff, and it looks like your foot's been lodged in it."

"Oh no!" he replied. He grabbed his sword from his scabbard, and handed it to her. "Here, try to use this to cut it free!" Nazz nodded, and swung at the root with the sword. Instead of slicing straight through it, the sword actually became stuck.

"What!" cried Nazz in astonishment, when she noticed that the soil was rising up the stairs. "Double D, try to move your foot out!"

"It's no use," he replied solemnly, his head bowed. "Please, take my sword and go."

"No!" cried Nazz. She held onto Edd, and pointed her left hand out of the opening at the top of the stairs.

"**Vine Rope**!"

A vine shot from her hand, and lodged onto the chest. With great effort, Nazz and Edd were pulled free just before the soil consumed them. They were pulled out onto the top, and Nazz grabbed Edd's hand, and they both touched the chest. At once, they both returned to normal size, and a small medallion, engraved with a leaf symbol, appeared in Nazz's hand.

"That looks valuable," commented Edd, before the pair resumed their searching.

ooo

"So Zoe, are we there yet?"

"No, Ed…"

"How about now?"

"No, Ed."

"Now?"

"No, Ed!"

Zoe and Ed were busy walking down a narrow passageway, similar to the one Edd and Nazz had been journeying down. However, no torches lined this one, which seemed to descend into the tree, and so Zoe was holding a glowing green light that they had salvaged.

"This place is spooky!" cried Ed goofily.

"I know, Ed," replied Zoe calmly, "so that's why you mustn't run off."

"Okey-dokey!"

The pair continued descending deeper down the tree, and perhaps into the bowels of the earth itself. Zoe finally stopped walking when the air was stale and stagnant, and her breath came out in icy clouds of fog.

"Ed, we should turn back. There's obviously nothing here." The big oaf, however, continued to walk forwards, away from Zoe and her light. "Ed! Please come back here; you mustn't wander off!" Ed suddenly stopped walking, and slowly began to turn, casting sinister shadows as he did so. His face came into view, and Zoe gasped at the sinister, yet still goofy, expression on it.

"Ed! Stop joking around!" She reached into her dress pocket to retrieve a whistle, but when she looked up Ed was gone. "Ed! Where are you?" She spun around the passageway, looking for Ed, but couldn't catch any sight of him. "Oh great," whispered Zoe, all alone in the gloomy darkness, with only the green light casting ominous shadows all around here. She took a shaky breath, shivering, and began to reassure herself.

"Now Zoe, remain calm…Ed's just playing a silly trick; don't go anywhere, or-"

"BOO!"

Zoe screamed in terror as Ed jumped out in front of her, a scary expression plastered over his face in an attempt to frighten Zoe. She fell backwards due to shock, and landed on the floor, bashing her head as she did so. She fell on the green light, and smashed it, the glass embedding in her left elbow. She collapsed now, out cold.

"Zoe?" asked Ed nervously, afraid his little prank had gone too far. He knelt down next to her, and gently poked her neck. She didn't move, and Eddy worriedly put his ear next to her chest, and listened for her heart-beat. It was there, though her breathing itself was shallow and almost beyond hearing. Ed panicked now, and began to frantically look around the chamber, which now was in a state of total ominous darkness. "Uh oh! Zoe, wake up!" He shook her, and all she did was mumble a bit. He grabbed her arm, and Zoe visibly winced in pain. Ed looked at her elbow, and saw blood streaming down her lower arm, several sharpened shards of broken green glass cut deep into the flesh.

"Karap! Karap!"

Ed spun around upon hearing the strange screech. It seemed to be coming from the other direction, and there was a sound of several wings beating in the air. Ed slowly backed away, and pulled Zoe up (gently this time) onto his back, so it was like he was giving her a piggyback ride. Something began to emerge out of the blackness, and its glowing green eyes gave it away.

"Run!" cried Ed suddenly, as he sped off blindly back the way he and Zoe had came. The creature with the glowing eyes cawed like a bird, and moved through the darkness after him.

Ed was lucky for the fact that he didn't fall; he had to check back at the beast behind him several times in order to see how far away it was. Zoe was heavy on his back, and each time he checked, the creature was nearer to the pair. After several minutes on endless, sightless running, Ed was forced to stop due to the constricting muscles in his chest, screaming out for proper oxygen intake. Ed stopped running, and laid Zoe on the ground as gently as he could without dropping her. They were now higher up in the tree, and from above, through tiny holes in the bark, sunlight streamed through, enough to light up some of the chamber.

"Karap!" screeched a voice from behind, and Ed turned to finally catch a glimpse of his mysterious, relentless Four Winged Vine Viper was a monster unique to the Temple of Nature; its relative, the Vine Viper, was unique to Areth Forest alone. The snake was long and thin, with four small, fluffy, downy white wings on the middle of its body, two on either side. The skin was green, with black stripes all over it's body, and the creature merely had two small fangs on either side of its jaw. The glowing eyes made it look menacing, but the creature didn't look as tough as some monsters the Chosen Ones had faced before.

"Leave us alone!" shouted Ed at the creature.

"Sssssshut up!" hissed the Viper, and Ed gaped; this monster could talk! "I'm going to kill you and all your friendssssss…You won't take the Crystal from ussssss!"

"Lothar the Barbarian will stop you!" cried back Ed, and he charged at the fiend with a mighty roar. It merely raised the lower, hardened part of its body, and blocked Ed's attack with its tail. Ed swung his axe again, but the creature this time evaded the attack, and tried to bite Ed in the lower shin. He dodged as well, and the creature slithered under his foot. While this was going on, Zoe began to slowly regain consciousness.

"Oh, my arm…" she groaned as she slowly sat up. She examined her elbow, and instantly lost all grogginess. "Oh dear, oh dear…" She slowly picked the glass shards out delicately, one by one. After she took out the final piece, the red blood began to freely flow down her arm. Zoe twirled her hand in the air, still oblivious to the fight near her, and watched as water formed around it. "Amazing; I can conjure water simply by moving my hand!" She smile, and began to wash away the blood. Her arm was now clean, and she held her right arm over her left elbow.

"**Cure**!"

The transparent-blue glow appeared over the open wound, and Zoe sighed contentedly as the beneficial healing magic worked its way through her body. Soon, the wound was completely healed (not even a pale scar was left) and Zoe was pleased at how she had handled the situation.

"Aggh!"

Ed hurtled into the wall behind her, and Zoe noticed the battle for the first time properly. She froze at the sight of the Viper, which was slowly slithering towards both her and Ed.

"Hah!" called Ed. "Now me and Zoe can beat the nasty snake!"

"S-snake…" stuttered Zoe, getting up and moving away from it. She stared at the fiends face, and began to scream in fear.

"It's coming for me!" she screamed, and grabbed Ed by the shoulders, shaking him madly. "Do something!"

"Okey-dokey!" smiled Ed, and he swung his axe at the snake's side. The fiend was cut in half, but in its death throes, it managed to bite Ed.

"Ouch!" cried the tall boy. "Zoe, I have a boo-boo!"

"Don't worry, Ed; it's not that bad," reassured Zoe. "Thank you for defeating that creature, by the way. I would have helped, but you know how I am about snakes."

"Oh yeah, the zoo five years ago!"

"Please, don't remind me about it!"

The continued walking back along the passage, until fluttering noises could be heard.

"Are there monsters every two feet in this world?" asked Zoe incredulously, as she readied her staff. "Let me take care of them, Ed. You done enough dealing with that horrible, grotesque, disgusting, vile, filthy-"

"Um, Zoe?"

"Oh, my apologies. I mean, you've done enough already with that…ahem…snake fiend."

"Well if you're sure!" replied Ed happily, and he grinned as he stepped back. "Go, Zoe!"

"Thank you for your kind words of encouragement, Ed," replied Zoe graciously. "Now, let's see if our opponents will shot themselves!"

After she finished speaking, the eerie silence was broken by a swarm of large bats appearing out of the dank gloom. They looked like normal bats, save for the fact that they were slightly larger than the average size.

"This should be easy!" commented Zoe, as she swiped her staff at one of the bats. It cried out, and vanished in a puff of black smoke. Zoe swiped, banged, and smacked at any Bats that came her way, but they just kept increasing in number.

"Fine!" called out Zoe, as the Bats began to swarm around her. "I'll just have to take you on the hard way!" She twirled her staff in the air like a baton, and spun around herself, knocking many Bats into the walls around her, the unfortunate monsters vanishing in puffs of black smoke. The remaining ones began to back off, but Zoe wasn't done yet.

"**Psychic**!"

A wave of pink, moving energy shot out from Zoe's right hand, slamming into the remaining Bats. They all vanished in the black clouds, and Zoe and Ed began to walk began without any further interruption.

ooo

The three groups met up once again in the chamber with the tree and staircase, and the only things of value they had found were the medallion and key.

"What could this key be for?" asked Edd curiously. "I see no door nor keyhole anywhere in this room."

"Look again," said Eddy, gesturing to a part of the floor right before the trunk. It was a small patch of brick, surrounded by grass, with a tiny keyhole in the centre of it. He placed the key in, and motioned the others over to him. They all stepped on the panel, which began to ascend sharply into the heights of the chamber, finally stopping at the top of the huge oak pole, where a sort of pod-like chamber awaited them. It was circular in shape, and seemed to hand in the air, with the giant branches of the oak supporting it. A door in front of them was the only opening, but it wouldn't open.

"Wait, look!" said Edd, pointing to a circular hole in the door. "Nazz, may I see your medallion?" Nazz complied, and Edd placed the circle-shaped amulet into the hole. The door opened slowly, a breath of cold air brushing out, and the Chosen Ones-and Rosaline-stepped inside.

ooo

"So, what's in here?" asked Eddy. They had emerged into a normal shaped room, with a the walls curved slightly. No one bothered to look at the ceiling, so they didn't' have any idea of how tall the pod truly was. At the opposite end was a wooden door, but it was barred by iron chains.

"Fools…" whispered a voice from above. Nazz seemed to be the only one who could hear it, and she looked up, towards the top of the room. She gasped, and began to tremble slightly.

"Nazz, what is it?" asked Edd, rushing over to her side. All Nazz could do was stutter incoherently, and she slowly raised her arm to point at what she had seen. Edd and the others followed her pointed hand, and gaped or cried out at what they saw.

At the top of the room was a huge, intricate spider's web, with its creator attached to the centre. The long, spindly legs were covered in gray hair, with a sharp, pointed, large-nail like point at the tip. The huge opisthosoma had massive black, pincer like spinnerets, which were almost as dark as its skin. There was a red wavy, swirl-like pattern on the top of the silk-containing abdomen, and a perfect blue circle on the underside. A vicious pair of grey fangs, ready to inject and paralyse its victims, were at either side of the arachnid's mouth, and the cephalothorax of the beast itself was large and deformed, and eight black, beady eyes stared down hungrily at the horrified children.

"Never before has someone wandered so willingly into my midst. You will make marvellous prey…" The spider leapt down to the ground below with a crash, as the six others ran back towards the door they had come from, which was now also magically barred by iron chains. "I am Rachnos, the Spider Fiend, and my Master and I serve Lady Natura. We shall not allow you to take the Crystal of Nature!"

"Wait!" reasoned Edd. "We're the Chosen Ones! We need the Crystal!"

"Lies, all lies!" retorted Rachnos sinisterly. "Now, prepare to duel with me; for your lives!"

ooo

AN: An exciting end to this chapter indeed; prepare for more in the near future!

Lilienne: Indeed so. Now, for this chapter's "Fun Cul-de-sac Facts!" Did thou know that Nazz's, "The Unattainable Love Interest", :

1. Favourite colours are violet and magenta?

2. That Nazz makes outfits in her spare time, and sells them to charity stores if she doesn't want to wear them herself?

3. That Nazz is a baby-sitter because she looked after her younger sister Martha a lot when she was younger?

4. Nazz is scared of spiders because a pet tarantula she once had tried to bite her and her cousin?

5. Nazz hates uncoordinated outfits?

6. Nazz's favourite two school subjects are Fashion and Textile Studies, History and P.E.?

7. Nazz's favourite food is kiwi, because it helped her to stick to her diet when she tried to slim down?

8. Nazz is talented at cheerleading, being the head of the school squad, as well as ballet and ice-skating?

9. That Nazz can play the piano, bass and piccolo?

10. That Nazz hates killing or fighting things without good cause, because she is the Chosen One of Nature?

Lilienne: After Miss Nazz's profile, thy shall examine Kevin, "The Jock," along with thou in the next chapter.

Me: Please leave a review! Thank you for reading!

-LucasBravvus97


	12. Chapter 12: The Temple of Nature Part 2

AN: I don't have much to say for this chapter, but Lilienne does.

Lilienne; For everyone one who reads this story; review! Whether you have an account or not, the author still allows anonymous reviews. Please assist us in making the story more popular. Thank thou!

Me: Also, Rosaline's weapon functions like a whip.

Chapter Twelve: Temple of Nature Part Two

"Are you fools ready to face me, the King of Arachnids?" bellowed Rachnos. Ed, Edd, Eddy, Rosaline, Zoe and Nazz all merely stood before him, still horrified at the sight of the grotesque arachnid. Nazz seemed the most disturbed, and she was visibly trembling like a dead leaf, caught in a winter wind, as the eight-legged fiend advanced towards them.

"We gotta give it all we've got!" announced Eddy, as he readied his knife. "Monobrow and Rosie, you're with me. Let's go!" Eddy, Ed and Rosaline all ran towards Rachnos; Eddy with his knife, **Gladys Touch**, Ed and his axe, **Bloodlust**, and Rosaline with her **Vine Arms**.

"Nazz, we have to fight as well!" said Zoe. However, the blonde merely shook her head at the thought of fighting the spider.

"I c-can't…"

Zoe sighed deeply. "Eddward," said Zoe, "you need to help me. I believe Nazz is still a little frightened of spiders after that incident a few years ago."

"I understand," replied Edd. "Rosaline, Ed and Eddy! It appears that this fight belongs to all three of you. It's up to you to defeat Rachnos!"

"We've got it covered, Double D!" called back Rosaline, as she swiped with her arms-turned-vines at the front legs of the giant spider. He reared up to avoid the attack, and then stepped down upon the vines underneath him. Rosaline cried out in pain, and desperately tried to pull her vines away. Rachnos, in retaliation, increased the pressure he was applying to the vines. Rosaline began to scream even louder, and tried to wrench the vines (which were connected to her) away from the Spider Fiend.

"Leave Rosaline alone, you big meanie!" shouted Ed defiantly, and he leapt up into the air. He brought his axe down upon Rachnos's body, and the over-grown arachnid growled at the pain surging through his body. He reared up again, letting go of Rosaline's vines, and prepared to spit a glob of poisonous silk at Ed. However, Ed managed to dodge the attack, and Rachnos roared in irritation as both of his prey got away.

"How dare you attempt to best me in my own territory!" He slashed his legs at Ed's feet, but the tall boy dodged the attack and ran away to the wall. Eddy gave a battle-cry and ran up to him. He slashed at the huge arachnids eyes, and the fiend shrieked out in pain as the blade cut into his flesh. He thrashed about violently, and Eddy and the others backed off a considerable distance away.

"You think you can harm me…" growled Rachnos. "You think you can waltz into our territory and take what we were assigned to guard by higher powers themselves…" Rachnos suddenly glowed a dark green, as his eyes and wounds healed themselves. "You shall not take the Crystal of Nature! I will not allow Faith to get it!"

"We don't serve Faith!" exclaimed Edd. "We are the Chosen Ones!"

"You cannot fool me!" bellowed Rachnos. "You are truly demonic servants, if I have ever seen one!"

"This guy is nuts!" cried Eddy. "I don't think he realises we're Chosen Ones!"

"Then we have no choice but to face him in battle," said Rosaline solemnly, "and defeat him."

"Must we?" asked Edd, who had now joined the fray; Zoe was still consoling Nazz. "He seems like a good, if misguided, person."

"No other choice," said Eddy simply. "Ed, help me out here!"

"Okey-dokey!" said Ed. He grabbed the short Ed by the feet, and began to swing him around at an unbelievable pace.

"Rosie! Double D! Create a deveer-I mean, a divar-Oh, whatever it's called!"

"A diversion?" asked Edd.

"Yeah, that!"

The Floranuss and Human nodded wordlessly at each other, the same plan forming in both of their heads. They both ran towards the giant arachnid, parallel to each other. Rosaline had her **Vine Arms **ready, and Edd has his sword: **Platinum** **Master**. Rosaline was the faster of the two, and she reached Rachnos first. She spun around his body, and Rachnos tried to see her. "Stay still, demon!" ordered the Spider Fiend. "How dare you take on the form of a Floranuss for your own nefarious purposes!"

"I told you!" said Rosaline. "We're the good guys!" She then snapped her whip at the spider's spinneret's, causing him to howl in intense pain. Edd then ran up, but Rachnos raised his front legs and intercepted his sword strike. Edd gasped, for his foe's legs were as hard as steel. As they both struggled, trying to overpower each other, Eddy was building momentum at an incredibly fast pace. "Eddy!" called Rosaline. "Hurry up, Double D can't go for much longer!" It was true; while Rachnos seemed to be fine, not having to push too hard against the fledgling Knight, Edd was breathing heavily, panting as sweat dripped down his body and his face was red from over-effort.

"I am not cut out for this…" gasped Edd, as Rachnos began to push him back.

"Ok, Ed!" cried Eddy suddenly, gathering the attention of all present (except a trembling Nazz). "Let her rip!" Ed let go of the shorter boy, who zoomed straight for Rachnos and Edd. As he did, he began to glow:

"**Light Streak**!"

Edd sighed in relief and ducked down quickly, as Rachnos stared, horrified, at the flying boy. Eddy collided with Rachnos, and sent him flying. The two flied straight into a wall of the chamber, causing a huge dent in it, with even a small crack! Dust and small pieces of debris filled the circular chamber, as the others coughed and tried to see what had happened. It eventually cleared, and the others saw Eddy, unfazed, standing by the wall, with Rachnos lying in a crumpled heap behind him.

"Look, guys!" grinned Eddy proudly. "I did it!"

"My, that was quite a slam…" groaned Rachnos, stirring on the floor. He slowly got up, and looked at an alarmed Eddy. "Don't be scared!" he said, reassuringly. "You passed the test; only a Chosen One could do a spell like that, and with that amount of power!" Now that he wasn't angry, Rachnos seemed quite civilised, and talked in a normal human voice.

"So now will you let us pass?" asked Zoe hopefully.

"Of course, my dear girl!" said Rachnos, smiling (which looked creepy for the huge spider). "You have proved your worth; go now into the heart of this Temple, and obtain the Crystal of Nature!"

"I don't think so."

A ball of shadow hurtled right into Rachnos, to the horror of the astounded kids. However, this wasn't like a solid ball; it was made of Dark Fire, and burned through the flesh of the Spider King as it hit him. "Rachnos!" cried Nazz, snapping out of her trance. Even though she had Arachnophobia, she still ran to Rachnos, who was now laying still on the ground as his blood bled from his flesh, and examined his wound.

"That old fool deserved it," said a voice from behind, and the others turned to see Faith, smiling wickedly at them.

"FAITH!" cried everyone present, except Rosaline, who narrowed her eyes.

"So you are the infamous Faith?" asked the princess bitterly.

"Yes indeed, my dear girl," said Faith in a mockery of Rachnos.

"Shut up!" snapped Nazz. "How could you do something that horrible to a living being? What kind of human are you?"

"Who ever said I was a human?" asked Faith simply, earning shocked expressions from the others.

"You mean…you aren't a human?" asked Edd.

"I merely appear in the guise of a human. It doesn't mean that I necessarily am one. Now, onto business."

"Whaddya mean?" asked Eddy angrily.

"Considering the slaying of the Spider King a warning; I am going to obtain the Crystal of Nature, since you all kindly opened the Temple for me, and no one is going to stop me. So, if you know what's good for you, then I would advise you pests not to meddle."

"Yeah right!" called Nazz. "As if we're going to let you get the Crystal of Nature!"

"We'll see," smirked Faith darkly. "Ciao." The shadows around her began to draw towards her, and Faith phased through them, back to wherever she had came from.

"Please…" groaned Rachnos behind them as soon as Faith was gone. "You must go now…"

"We're not leaving you!" said Nazz.

"I can heal myself, Chosen One of Nature, but you must find the Crystal before that demon does. My Master guards it, but you must face him in order to find it."

"More fighting?" asked Edd sadly. "Is that all that happens on this planet?"

"I know that this world and yours are very different, but there is something important that you must know."

"What is it?" asked Zoe.

"You must get obtain all twelve Elemental Crystals before Faith. The fate of the universe and all worlds depend on it.

"Wait, the whole universe?" asked Eddy sceptically. "And all worlds?"

"If Faith obtains the powers of the Crystals, then she will destroy Gaia with it. And do you think she will stop at that?"

"Don't say it, please," asked Zoe sadly.

"She will destroy all creation," continued Rachnos. "And then the Gods themselves. Out of the darkness will be created a new universe, where Faith and her master rule."

"Who is her master?" asked Edd.

"I cannot tell you," whispered Rachnos, "for we of this Temple are forbidden to speak of his name, by Lady Natura herself."

"Very well then," nodded Edd, "them we must hurry; if we are to stop Faith, time is of the essence."

"Thanks for your help, Spider Man!" said Ed happily. "Will you be ok?"

"I'll be fine, young master," replied "Spider Man". "Now please, go!" The chained door, opposite the one from which the group had entered the room, unlocked as if by magic, and the Chosen Ones proceeded through.

ooo

"Why are they taking so long?" whined Jimmy. "My feet hurt, and I'm bored!"

"Hey, at least you're not risking your life in a Temple," asked Jennifer sarcastically, "'cause that would be _unthinkable_, wouldn't it?"

"Yes, it would." Jennifer sighed at Jimmy's prissiness, and looked over to her sister, who was sitting cross-legged in the shadow of a tree.

"What are you doing?" asked the older sister to the younger, walking over to Elle.

"Meditating."

"Um, _why_?"

"It helps clear my mind and help me to think."

"It's weird if you ask me."

"I didn't."

"Whatever," said Jennifer, walking away. Elle mentally sighed at her sister's mentality, and continued to hum as she slowly thought.

_I am a leaf, floating on air…_

ooo

"So, is this the proper temple?" asked Eddy. The room they were in now looked more sophisticated. The walls and floor were made of a compound of stone and mud, but plants galore still grew on them. A staircase before them led up to another room.

"I don't know," replied Rosaline. "The change in architecture suggest we're getting deeper into this tree, and closer to our target."

"So let's go on then!" said Ed, and he ran up the stairs, followed closely by the others. They opened the door and walked through, finding that they were outside. Opposite them was another part of the tree, and a wooden rope connected the two.

"Guess we have to go across this," said Eddy.

"You think?" asked Rosaline dryly.

"Yeah," said Eddy, unaware of the sarcasm in Rosaline's voice. She mentally palmed her face. They began to walk across the bridge, which was slowly swaying ominously in the wind. They were about half-way across, in single file, when the Chimpions emerged. There were about 6 of these volatile little monsters swarming the bridge. They bore a strong resemblance to small chimps, except for the tiny horns on their heads. Their fur was purple, and their skin a sickly gray. They had red eyes which looked angry and bloodshot all the time. In their hands were crude wooden clubs, covered in stones and salvaged bits of hard, painful things.

"Give us a break!" said Nazz angrily.

"We have to fight," said Rosaline simply. "If we don't, how will you get stronger?"

"What do you mean?"

"When you fight, you slowly become stronger and more skilful in battle. Like this." Rosaline ran forward, and the Chimpions began to whoop and growl at her. Her arms morphed into vines once more, but these **Vine Arms **had sharper thorns, like barbed wire.

"**Whip Spin**!"

With her **Vine Arms **outstretched, Rosaline began to spin around at a fast pace, like a carousel gone out of control. Any Chimpions that came near her were swatted away, over the bridge and to the ground below.

"Go Rosie!" cried Eddy, when a sneaky Chimpion grabbed him by the scruff of the neck and hoisted him up, began to climb up a vine at a relatively fast pace for holding the struggling Ed boy.

"Eddy!" called Zoe after him. "We're coming for you!"

"We have to go!" said Edd, for the Chimpion and Chosen Ones were almost out of sight. Nazz climbed up the vine first, followed by Ed, then Edd, and finally Zoe, while Rosaline was still doing her spinning-top impression.

"Lemme go!" cried Eddy, whacking at the Chimpion's legs. It shrieked at him, and began to slap his face with its feet.

"Ew! Get offa me!"

"Hang in there, Eddy!" said Nazz, who was only a bit below him. She latched onto his foot, and tried to pry him from the Chimpion's grasp. It pulled back, and a game of tug-of-war began, with Eddy as the rope.

"Ow!" he cried, as he was pulled roughly pulled in either direction. "Let! Me! Go!" He twisted his head around, and bit into the Chimpion's hand.

"Eeek!" it cried, and let go of him. Eddy fell down, along with Nazz, Ed, Edd and Zoe. Their screams could be heard miles away as the fell sharply through the air, and the sound of the five whacking into the ground at the end of the rope-bridge resonated miles throughout the forest.

"Good Lord, my head…" said Zoe and Edd simultaneously. The group of five slowly got up from the ground, groans of pain and aching bones accompanying them. Rosaline, meanwhile, was still spinning around like a malfunctioning carousel, with her whips swatting away any Chimpions that came within a metre radius.

"Won't she be crazy and stuff after it?" asked Nazz.

"Probably," replied Zoe nonchalantly, "and I suggest we wait for her to finish." She took out a handkerchief, rather large for its size, and placed it on the ground. She took out _Skulduggery Pleasant: The Faceless Ones _from her dress pocket and began reading it.

"Where did you get that?" asked Eddy.

"From a bookshop," replied Zoe, still engrossed indetective novel. Eddy frowned at the sarcasm in her voice, and asked again.

"I mean, how is it here?"

"I brought it with me."

"Look out!" echoed Nazz's voice suddenly, and Zoe ducked out of the way just before the flailing Chimpion slammed into her body. The others turned to see a dizzy Rosaline stagger over to them before collapsing on the floor. Ed ran over and gently lifted her, and they all saw the dazed look in her eyes.

"Rosaline's move may have a nasty after-effect," stated Edd grimly.

"Huh?" asked Nazz.

"She looks Confused," said Zoe, "so I don't think its advisory for her to use that move often."

"What do we do now?"

"I suggest we fight that rather large simian over there," pointed Zoe, "as it looks rather peeved at something; namely, Rosaline." The Chimpion she was talking about was about twice the size of a normal one, so it looked more gorilla-like than like a chimp. It was very buff, and hardened muscles lined its body, particularly the arms and legs. A wooden crown was upon its thick skull, and the Chimpion King growled at the Chosen Ones aggressively.

"Bring it on, monkey boy!" called Eddy.

"Eeek eeek!" cried the large simian beast, jumping over to the group with a loud thump.

"Eddy, you idiot!" cried Zoe, putting her book back into her pocket.

"We were gonna fight it anyway!" was the reply. "And by we, I mean _you_!" Eddy and Ed, the latter carrying a still dazed Rosaline, backed off, leaving Nazz, Edd and Zoe to fight the Chimpion King.

"What do you mean, us?" asked Nazz angrily.

"We fought that Rachnos dude, so you guys can fight this creep!" called back Eddy. "Have fun now!"

"Thanks a lot!" called back Zoe, before pulling out her staff and pointing it towards the Chimpion King. Nazz did the same with hers, while Edd brandished his sword.

"We must vanquish these vile beings!" said Edd firmly.

"I agree," said Zoe, "so take this!" She pointed her staff at the Chimpion King:

"**Ice**!"

A sphere of solid, freezing ice materialised at the tip of the staff. The air was already growing colder with the introduction of the frigid object, and Zoe smiled darkly as she aimed the ball at the Chimpion King. It flew away from her like a stone in a catapult, slamming straight into the chest of the Chimpion King. The large monster gave a large shriek as it flew back several feet, coming to a stop in the middle of the rope-bridge, which gave a heavy creak in response to the immense mass of the creature. It slowly raised itself up from the floor of the bridge, and looked at Zoe. It growled, and motioned for her to come over and fight it.

"It appears that it wants to fight me," said Zoe to Edd and Nazz. "Could you both please fight the others monsters?" She was referring to the Chimpions that were gathered around the group.

"Of course," said Edd grimly, "but will you be safe?"

"Yeah," stated Nazz, "because that thing looks tough."

"I'm perfectly capable of handling myself. Now, if you'll both excuse me." Zoe left the duo, and walked over to her foe.

"Guess we have to deal with these guys," said Nazz, gesturing towards three Chimpions.

"Very well then!" said Edd. "Let's go!"

Edd, surprisingly, moved first. He swung his sword at one of the Chimpions, and it deftly dodged out of the way. He jabbed at it, and hit it square in the chest. It fell to the ground, clutching its stomach tightly as red blood spilt onto its hand, and Edd believed the battle to be won. However, the Chimpion managed to stand up, and lunged for Edd, knocking him to the ground. Edd struggled to get away from the rabid chimp-monster, who was attempting to scratch out his eyes.

"Oh no, Double D!" cried Nazz, attempting to run over and help him. However, the other two Chimpions blocked her way, and began to menacingly advance towards her as Nazz backed off. "Like, stay away from me, fur-balls!" One of the Chimpions got ready to leap, and Nazz, on impulse, bashed it away with her staff. It was knocked back a bit, and its companion bared it many teeth at Nazz for her action. Before it could do anything, Nazz called out on impulse:

"**Floral Twister**!"

A sudden twister of flowers, hundreds of them, began to form before the astounded Rodan Mage. It moved over to the panicking Chimpions, and absorbed the two of them into itself. The third and final Chimpion, holding onto Edd, was doing its best not to be sucked into the swirling vortex of wind and plant. Edd, meanwhile, struck his sword out at the monkey's head. It raised its arms as means of defence, but was sucked into the vortex like its companions.

The mini-tornado of flowers, growing larger and larger, advance towards the bridge where Zoe and the Chimpion King were. The Chimpion King hadn't faired well in the fight against Zoe, and let itself feebly be dragged into the whirlwind. The four simian beasts were lifted out of sight, vanishing into the white clouds above.

"Well," said Edd, slightly out of breath, "that was…invigorating."

"Indeed," said Rosaline, getting up from the ground and walking towards the others, along with Ed and Eddy. "Thanks for beating those things; they're called Chimpions, and the big one was a Chimpion King. Now, let's get going, shall we?"

ooo

"How long has it been since the Chimpion fight?" groaned Eddy wearily.

"Ten minutes, Eddy," replied Zoe for around the seventh time.

"It's been that long already?" gasped Eddy, sounding shocked.

"Yes, it has been," replied Zoe.

Since crossing the bridge, the group of six had found themselves in a room of sorts, with another corridor branching off eastwards. They had been following it for the past aforementioned time, walking many feet, going up or down staircases etc.

"Will this passage ever end?" asked Nazz tiredly, stopping against the tree-like wall to rest. "My feet are so sore, and these shoes are almost worn out!"

"Can you please stop complaining?" grumbled Rosaline crabbily, also stopping to sit. "We'll get there when we get there."

"Ed thinks the walking is making Rosie want to go nap-nap!" said Ed goofily. He picked up the grumbling princess and began to rock her in his arms like a mother would do to her child.

"God luck making her happy, Monobrow!" teased Eddy, who was already laughing very hard.

"Be quiet, Eddy!" snapped Rosaline. "Ed, can you please put me down?"

"B-but I w-wanted to make R-Rosie h-happy!" sniffed Ed, tears forming in his sad eyes.

"Oh dear," sighed Edd, taking out his umbrella.

"Wahhhhh!" bawled Ed loudly, salty tears streaming out of his eyes like malfunctioning fountains in a park. Rosaline was the first to get drenched by the salty water, which caused her wounds from being tied up (while infected by Miasma) to nip and sting like crazy.

"Lumpy, calm down!" pleaded Eddy desparately, before he too was soaked.

"Ed, please stop crying!" cried Zoe, cowering under her brother's umbrella.

"But I want to make Rosie happy! Wah!"

"Ed," said the dripping Rosaline sweetly, "if you put me down, then I'll be very happy!"

Ed instantly stopped crying, a smile now on his face. "Ok!" He set Rosaline down, even brushing off any specks of dirt that were in her dress with his bare hands.

"I'm glad that's over…" mumbled Eddy under his breath. "Hey," he spoke, this time in a louder, clearer voice, "shouldn't we be going?"

"I agree," said Nazz, getting up. The group continued walking forward, until they entered into yet another large, dome-shaped hall. However, at the far end of the hall was a large, stone door, with a leaf pattern carved onto it.

"The symbol of Nature," said Rosaline wisely. "Something important must be here."

"What are we waiting for then?" asked Eddy, already walking up to the door. He tried to touch it with his finger, but an unseen force prevented him was doing so. As soon as skin met stone, Eddy cried out and careened backwards across the room.

"YOW!" he cried out in pain, sucking his burnt finger. "That hurt!"

"Well, if you had read the writing, Eddy," said Edd, "then you would have seen that not just anybody can touch this door."

"What writing?" asked Eddy grouchily. He pushed past Ed and Rosaline, and looked at the writing on the door. It was barely visible, but the slight green glow that came from the elegant, intricate letters was enough to make the words illegible.

"_If you open this door, all those that would,_

_Beware if your intentions aren't good,_

_For only a soul of Nature will do,_

_To open this door and allow passage through."_

"A soul of nature?" asked Edd cryptically.

"Maybe it refers to the Sage of Nature," suggested Zoe.

"Or a Floranuss," said Eddy, sounding pleased for his decently-smart answer.

"Perhaps it could mean that only the Chosen One of Nature can open it!" commented Rosaline.

"If that is indeed the case," nodded Edd, "and I believe it is likely, then Nazz is the only one who can open this door. Nazz, would you mind touching this door and seeing what happens?"

"Of course not, Double D," obliged Nazz, walking up to the stone door. She brushed her fingertips against the surface, but nothing happened.

"Why isn't the magic door working?" asked Ed dumbly.

"Maybe it didn't mean me after all…" said Nazz sadly.

"Wait a second," said Zoe, "look at these!" Zoe was pointing to five pentagonal tiles, all arranged in a semi-circle, at the other end of the room. One was red, one gold, one grey, one blue, and one a very light green. There was also a six glowing tile, dark green in colour, at the base of the door.

"What are these?" asked Eddy.

"If my theory is correct," said Zoe, "then they're the key to opening that door." She ran over to the blue tile and stood on it. It began to pulse lightly and glow, and the glow in the dark-green tile increase in intensity slightly."What do we do, Zoe?" asked Edd.

"Eddward, you stand on the red tile, and Ed you stand on the grey, with Eddy on the golden one. Rosaline, could you stand on the light-green tile? Thanks!"

Soon all five were on each tile, and the dark-green tile was now pulsing and vibrating madly, its glow cast across the walls.

"What do I do?" asked Nazz.

"Stand on that tile," said Zoe, pointing to the dark-green one, "and touch the wall." Nazz did so, and as soon as she stepped on it, a surge of energy flooded through her. She lightly tapped the stone surface, and it flung open.

"Well done!" called Edd along with cheers from the others.

"I wonder what's in here," remarked Nazz, as she walked into the room followed by the others.

ooo

"Des it feel like it suddenly got colder?" asked Lindsay to Kevin, who was sitting next to her.

"Sort of, yeah," replied the jock lazily, who was lounging on the grass in the meadow, staring up at the sky. His hat was slightly over his eyes, but he soon moved it as something caught his attention. "Hey, what's that?" he said.

"What's what?" asked Lindsay.

"That!" cried Kevin, now fully alert and pointing to a black dot in the sky. The others came over, and all looked up above them.

"It's a spaceship!"

"No, it's a meteor!"

"Rolf believes it to be spiders!"

"Spiders?" asked Lee. "Where'd ya get that from?"

"Look!" repeated the farmer boy. As the others craned to see, they all gasped in horror; the black dot was a huge mass of spiders, ready to fall on them!

ooo

"What is this place?" asked Nazz. They had emerged into the largest room yet. The floor was purely grass and soil, with a carpet of wildflowers on top of the green, lush grass. The walls were definitely more tree-like, so it was now clear that they were inside of a tree. A large, yellow glow spore hung from the ceiling, illuminating the whole area. The only door was the one that the Chosen Ones had just walked through.

"I wonder what's in-"

"Oh my Chaos!" screamed Rosaline in horror. The others turned to where she was looking, and caught a glimpse of the master of the Temple of Nature.

The being was a huge, twisting plant; a great big coiling mass of vines as thick as trees. It was at the other end of the clearing, and stretched from floor to almost the curved ceiling. The viridian-green vines were lined with purplish thorns, and at the tip were open flower-like protrusions, red and orange in colour. They resembled a Venus flytrap, and they were twitching in hungry anticipation for prey. A large, incredibly thick vine at the centre of the mass was the tallest of them all, and also had a large flower at the top. The petals were dark-purple, with a cobalt-blue trimming on the edge. The centre of the flower was white as untouched paper. However, the oddest feature was the face on the flower; a mouth of gaping, pin-like teeth, and two huge eyes as round as plates and as yellow as the glow spore above.

"What is that thing?" shrieked Eddy in horror.

"I am the custodian of the Temple of Nature," replied the monster in a creepy, rasping voice, "and I am protector of the Crystal of Nature."

"We are the Chosen Ones," announced Edd, "and we need that Crystal!"

"I know who you are," replied the plant monster, "and I will give you the Crystal…if you defeat me in battle."

"Very well then!" said Edd, taking out his sword, **Silver**.

"I agree!" said Zoe, wielding her staff, **Heavilina**.

"Me too!" said Ed happily, taking out his hammer **Bloodlust**.

"We have to win!" said Nazz, twirling her staff, **Starette**, about in the air.

"We have to do this properly!" said Rosaline, morphing her normal arms yet again into her **Vine Arms**.

"Let's cut down this oversized weed!" smirked Eddy, taking **Gladys Touch **out of its holder. The team of five Chosen Ones, and Floranuss, were now ready to face the first Elemental Guardian:

Perphalus, Carnivorous Vine Plant!

ooo

Me: And so the fight for the Crystal of Nature begins!

Lilienne: Thy does ask thou to pray in earnest for the victory of the Chosen Ones.

Me: I might do two fights at once; one for the group of six and Perphalus, the other for the rest and the Shadow Spiders (if the chapter is too short). However, we'll see.

Lilienne: In other matters, this chapter's "Fun Cul-de-sac Facts" will focus on Kevin, "The Jock". Were it known to thou that:

1. Kevin's favourite colour is lime-green?

2. Kevin plays many sports, including basketball, soccer, track and baseball?

3. That Kevin is a secret fan of woodwork, and makes many pieces of small furniture in his spare time?

4. Kevin is scared of needles because when he was younger, he had to be forcibly injected which scarred him for life?

5. Kevin hates people who act cool when they're not (like Eddy)?

6. Kevin's favourite school subjects are P.E., Woodwork and Chemistry?

7. Kevin's favourite food is beef because he feels like it will help him get more muscles?

8. Kevin is secretly talented at playing the guitar and drums?

9. Kevin is a fan of wrestling and golf?

10. That Kevin gets easily annoyed by people?

Lilienne: For the next chapter, we shall look at Jennifer, "The Drama Queen".

Me: Please review! Thank you!

-LucasBravvus97


	13. Chapter 13: Perphalus

**AN: So this is it; the chapter you've all been waiting for (at least up until now). Finally, after twelve chapters of other plot-related stuff, I am delighted to introduce the first battle with the very first Elemental Guardian to be featured. However, a word of caution; though this may not bother most of you, there will be violence of a higher degree in this chapter. Nothing like character death, just some blood and broken bones (maybe!). Also, there is very slight torture in this chapter, so it may be skipped if wished. However, I hope you will still read this chapter anyway; now, without further interruptions-**

**Lilienne: Be silent but for a moment, sir!**

**Me: Why?**

**Lilienne: Thy would dearly like to inform the readers of this tale of an up-and-coming feature that the author is soon going to introduce. However, it shall not be seen for a few chapters yet, so until then, thy shall keep you all in suspense. And for the readers with a knowledge of languages, thou will obtain thou's first taste of Arcanian tongue. If any reader the discovers the means of translating it into modern Gaian, then let us know in thou's review.**

**Me: Now, on with the story!**

**Chapter Thirteen: Perphalus **

**ooo**

"**Look at them…" said the merciless voice sourly, staring at the vision of the Chosen Ones, preparing to do battle with the mighty Perphalus, in the font-like structure before her. It was fashioned of cold, hard ebony, black as ink, and the space for holding water was filled to the absolute maximum, the water still and the ethereal image shining off of it like a reflection in a mirror. "The fools believe that they will beat that overgrown beast…" The person smirked darkly; how would they, though, when Perphalus would surely destroy them?**

"**This is a truly excellent situation," said the woman cunningly, "which I can use to my advantage to a great extent." She began to grin, but not a jovial one; no, a smile that oozed maliciousness and evil. "With the Chosen Ones permanently out of the way, I shall be able to procure all of the Crystals, and with them…" The image now changed, showing the other Chosen Ones surrounded by the swarm of Shadow Spiders. She began to laugh darkly, and the sinister sound echoed off the walls of the chamber that the woman was in.**

**It was a dark, murky cave of sorts, with the only light a soft-blue glow ball which hung above a small, still pond and the little trickling waterfall, emerging from a hole in the wall, that fed it. Natural colonnades of gray-blue stone held up the ceiling, and over by one wall were several large bookcases, each packed fully to the brim with ancient tomes, a grimoire, several dozen vials of many sizes (and filled with countless liquids all seven colours of the rainbow) and a seething cauldron fashioned of the same stone as the font.**

"**Now," said Faith, after her fit of laughter had ended, "onto business, shall we?" She walked slowly over to her cauldron, and took a quick glance at the bubbling black liquid before her. "Excellent," she purred slowly, and walked leisurely over to her grimoire, which was placed upon a stand fashioned of steel-grey granite. She flicked a few pages into the book of dark witchcraft, and quickly scanned over her wanted page. "So, the last part is to add the target to the concoction. I think I can manage that…" She opened her pale hand, and watched at the Shadow Spider in it cower away.**

"**Silly little thing," sighed Faith. "Don't you want to make all your siblings stronger?" The spider seemed to speak in a tiny voice, which only Faith could hear. "Of course you don't want to die," she said, though her face was indifferent, "but you need to; so into the pot you go."**

**The poor defenceless creature squealed as Faith tipped it into the pot, and screamed in a high-pitched tone as the flesh began to burn off its frail body, eating away through the thin bone beneath. The cauldron shook a bit violently as the arachnid tried to escape from the pot, but it was soon too late; the Shadow Spider had quickly decomposed, and the liquid became a blank canvas-white.**

**With her potion now finished, Faith, now holding a long, silver knife, began her incantation; "Onw, sa I eingb iths plesl fo rhaiacc oprew, I neld ym nwo lobod ot iths uximtre**." She held the knife above the hand which previously held the spider, and cut the skin with the blade. Several beads of crimson liquid began to run down the left side of her hand, and Faith ignored the slight nipping sensation that accompanied the required cut. She held the bloodstained knife over the cauldron, and watched a single drop of blood drip into the huge bowl. Instantly, the white began to shift to a dark, sinful carnation-red, and began to bubble instantly. Faith watched with glee, and quickly grabbed a glass chalice from a workbench. She dipped it into the cauldron, and watched as her hands tingled slightly and the glass filled up. She gently raised it to her mouth, her body shivering in anticipation. The moment it passed her lips, she sighed contently and, after one single sip, put the glass down. A dizzy feeling washed over her, and she had to steady herself by holding onto her workbench with a steel-tight grip. She slowly breathed in and out, and regained her composure.

"Now…" she whispered sinisterly, "I'll see how tough those brats truly are now."

She walked over, back to the font, and held her bleeding hand over it. The wound had nearly dried up, due to dark magical intervention, but one tiny droplet, this one a violent scarlet, was slowly making its path down her hand. Faith began the chant which could possibly end those meddlesome juveniles for good.

"**Ecnatin nigsbe fo Dnaskesr**."

The blood was still snaking its way across her ivory skin.

"**Dan falamsert Detrab.**"

The blood was slowly nearing the edge of her hand.

"**Keam heest noes frufes.**"

Almost there…

"**Tunli ither linaf abhtre.**"

The blood dripped down, into the cauldron. The water turned a sickening red-as did the image of the Chosen Ones-and Faith cackled like a triumphant witch.

It was done…

ooo

"Now," said Edd, with a slight air of authority, "this is it. The moment we have been waiting for. The test of time itself. The challenge-"

"Just shut up, Double D!" barked Eddy. "Give the plant a chance to eat us, why doncha!"

"I very well may do just that," said Perphalus in a rasping voice, the huge vines sprouting from his body snaking all over the floor, alarmingly near Ed, Edd, Eddy, Zoe, Nazz and Rosaline. Suddenly and without warning, one of the thickest, heaviest vines present suddenly reared up into the still, cool air, and descended sharply to the place where the kids were gathered.

"Run for it!" screamed Rosaline fearfully, as the group scattered; and not a moment too soon, for the heavy vine slamming into the ground created both a monstrous sound and a crater-like hole. The aftermath from the blast sent shockwaves along the ground. Ed, the slowest of the group, was the first to be picked up by the blast, and was flung through the air towards the side of the room. He fell onto the ground, and cut his arms on the roots pointing upwards.

"Owie…" groaned Ed, rubbing his arms and getting some blood on the palm of his hands.

"Ed!" cried Zoe, upon seeing the boy's bleeding arms.

"Oh dear!" said Edd as well. "Ed, can you move?"

"Sure, Double D!" laughed the tall Ed goofily. He took one step, and fell flat on his face.

"I'll heal Edd," sighed Zoe, running over to the boy (who was now in some amount of pain).

"Me and Double D will beat the stuffing outta this oversized weed!" boasted Eddy, flinging his arm around his hat-wearing friend's skinny arms. "Won't we, Double D?"

"I sincerely hope so, Eddy," replied the boy wearily, "and if we are to indeed beat this monster, then we need a strategy."

"Well, what do you propose?" asked Rosaline, running over to the two boys along with a worried-looking Nazz.

"I suggest that after he has been healed by Zoe, Eddy, Ed and I shall attack this monster-"

"Perphalus," interrupted Rosaline, much to Edd's chagrin, "his name is Perphalus."

"How do you know that?" asked Nazz.

"The Book of Arethanity states in Book Two Chapter One, Verses One-Three; "And with monstrous proportions was he, the flowering creature that nested within the bowels of the Temple of Nature, intertwining with the roots of the tree itself. Perphalus, the Prince of Plants and Guardian of the Forest; o'er his kingdom did the sun truly shine, yet his palace knew no light, hidden deep under the loamy earth."

"Ya know," remarked Eddy, sounding uninterested, "it's sad you can quote that whole passage." His response was a whack on his head.

"As I was saying," said Edd, with Zoe and Ed joining them, "Ed, Eddy and I shall fight Perphalus with our weapons, Zoe and Nazz shall focus on Magic, and Rosaline shall be our long-range attacker."

"Are you ready to face me, the Prince of Plants, now?" asked Perphalus, who had been waiting a while now for the actual fight to begin.

"We sure are!" said Rosaline, and everyone except Nazz nodded. She still had a look of anxiety on her face.

_I just can't shake the feeling that something terrible is about to happen to the others…_she thought, before shaking her head and readying her staff, prepared to cast a spell.

"Let us win this fight!" called Edd, and he and his two best friends charged for Perphalus.

ooo

"Oh my God!" cried Jennifer in anger. "There's no stop to them; they just keep coming!"

The Chosen Ones above ground were battling for their lives against the seemingly never-ending swarm of Shadow Spiders that had fallen like tiny wingless angels of death. Sword, arrow, spear, fist, bullet…any weapon that was in the Chosen Ones vast arsenal was being used in the battle.

"What do we do?" asked May desparately, casting a **Divine Flare**! **Protection of Firus**! Spell at a group of the arachnids. The large ball of red-hot fire slammed into them, incinerating many of the unfortunate creatures. However, they were merely replaced by more.

"We beat them," replied Lindsay calmly, as she fired a bullet into one of the arachnids head. She twirled, like a ballerina of destruction, and fired several rounds into three more Shadow Spiders, blowing up the miniature monsters.

"Yeah, but how?" panted Michael, impaling his spear through a Spider.

"We don't need to!" cried Rolf suddenly. "Look, the night-opaque-spiders vanish from here!"

It was true; the Shadow Spiders had stopped attacking, and were backing off from the humans.

"Yeah!" whooped Marie with joy. "In your face!"

"Yeah!" cried Sarah also, before Jimmy let out an incredibly high-pitched scream.

"OH NO!"

The others looked to where Jimmy was pointing, and were horrified and disgusted to see rapid abnormal changes occurring in the massive swarm of Shadow Spiders. Each normal looking arachnid was growing greatly in size, with mutated spike-like protrusions emerging out of their now double-sized bodies. Their skin, normally utter black, was morphing to a blood-crimson colour, and the small, almost non-existent teeth in their mouths changed into large, white fangs.

"What the hell's happened to those freaks?" asked Kevin incredulously.

"They look so yucky, Sarah…" whimpered Jimmy fearfully to his best friend. The faithful red-head patter his curly hair in a manner that suggested she was trying to gently comfort him.

"Don't worry Jimmy!" smiled the little Ninja. "We'll smash those weirdoes into the ground!"

"Unless they suck the blood from our veins!" remarked Elle creepily, waving her hands about in a ghost-like manner. Jimmy whimpered one last time before falling in a dead faint.

"Great!" said Sarah sarcastically. "Look what you did!"

"It's not my fault Jimmy is a sissy!" retorted Elle, but Sarah wouldn't hear of it.

"And how would you know that those spiders "suck the blood from our veins"?" asked Sarah, in a voice that mocked Elle.

"Look at their skin, the very colour of it. If I didn't know better, I'd say they were called Blood Spiders."

"Sure they are-"

"Eeek! Help!"

Sarah paused her talking and gasped, as did the others, while Jimmy shot awake from Elle's squeal.

"What happ-"

Jimmy froze as he saw the Blood Spider that was latched onto Elle drag her away into the swarming mass of its kin.

"Sure, just stand there!" pleaded Elle sarcastically, and then she screamed as she was slowly dragged into the horde. "Help!"

"Wake me in the morning…" commented Jimmy wearily, before fainting again.

"Great, just great!" cried Sarah, before she and Jimmy were both attacked by the Blood Spiders. Jimmy was dragged in quite easily, hardly stirring at all, while Sarah kicked, bitted and screamed as she too vanished into the swarm.

ooo

"Eddy, aim for the right!" cried Edd, as he slashed at the lower parts of one of Perphalus's vines. The monster growled slightly, and then roared loudly in annoyance as Eddy made slash after slash in the trunk-like vines to the right of the central body.

"Little pests!" commented Perphalus in his booming voice, before he growled-this time in real pain-as Ed hacked away into a left-side vine.

"Take this, mutant plant from Tarp 9!" cried the Viking, smashing into the vine with his axe.

"Ed!" cried Eddy with genuine care. "Get outta there before that thing freakin' kills ya!"

"I am Lothar! Hear me roar!" Eddy face-palmed himself at Ed's lack of personal care for his safety, then gasped as one of the large vines hovered menacingly above Ed, who laughed in a carefree way as he hacked away. "I'm a lumberjack and I'm okay, I sleep all night and I work all day."

"How does Ed know a Monty Python song?" asked Zoe, but her comment was unheard as Rosaline ran into Ed and pushed both him and her out of the way; and not a moment too soon, for the vine slammed into the ground, creating another shockwave.

"Damn!" cursed Eddy. "This guy is tough!"

"Now do you realise your pitiful attempt?" sneered Perphalus. "Surrender now, and come back when you are stronger."

"Yeah right, bucko!" chuckled Ed dumbly, getting up from the ground. He ran back over to the vine he was previously cutting at, and swung his axe once more. This time, however, the vine came clean off, causing there to be nine remaining and for Perphalus to cry out in pain.

"Persistent fools! I really am going to make you pay for this!"

"Not if we beacha first, ya overgrown weed!" taunted Eddy, making Perphalus's already immense fury grow to an unimaginable extent. The Prince of Plant's skin seemed to morph to a raging red, and smoke started to hiss wildly out of the sides of his head, presumably where his ears were.

"Hah hah!" laughed Eddy, clutching his stomach and pointing at Perphalus. "Look at his face!"

"Grr…" growled Perphalus, his teeth grinding together like huge, smoking, pointed mill-wheels. Suddenly, one of the vines lunged for Eddy, twisting around him like a suffocating python. Eddy gasped and tried to break free, but the vine merely held onto him tighter, making the short boy faint and slightly dizzy from lack of oxygen.

"Eddy!" called Zoe. "Hold on!"

"**Aqua Slash**!"

A huge, incredibly sharp blade, formed completely from light crystal-blue water, began to form around Zoe's right hand. She closed her eyes, and swung the sword in a diagonal pattern. Instead of actually hitting Perphalus, the sword dissolved into floating water, which surged towards the vine holding a now blue faced Eddy. The water smashed into it, yet because it was a Water-themed attack, Perphalus's Nature qualities cancelled it out; however, it was enough to knock Eddy from the vine's grasp, and he landed roughly on the floor, soaking wet and gasping for breath. Eddy began to cough, expelling the asphyxiating water from his near to bursting lungs, before fainting and lying wet on the ground.

"Eddy!" called Ed, suddenly sounding serious.

"He'll be ok," said Zoe a little worriedly, "but he's out of the fight."

"So then it's just us five," said Rosaline flatly. "We're doomed."

"Oh, stop being so negative!" moaned Zoe. "We can beat this monster if we keep persisting in our efforts!"

"Which are in vain!" cackled the said creature, slamming one of his vines down onto the ground.

"Jump!" cried Edd, and all of the group (sans Eddy) jumped into the air, the shockwave from the slam passing harmlessly under their feet.

"It seems you have found a way to avoid my **Vine Tremor**…" stated Perphalus sourly. "It does not matter, though, for I have an ace up my trunk."

"What does he mean by that?" asked Nazz.

"This!"

"**Leaf Swirl**!"

A huge, whirling twister of potentially thousands of leaves and all other kinds of debris from plants formed around Perphalus's twisting body. "Let's see if you impudent brats can handle this!" roared the monster in sadistic glee, as the Chosen Ones were desperately holding onto the earthen ground in an attempt not to be sucked into the vortex.

"What do we do?" asked Ed frantically, clutching so tightly unto a vine protruding from the ground that his hands were red from friction.

"If I were to get a clear shout," shouted Zoe to her companions over the roaring wind, "then I might be able to take him down!"

"So let's do it then!" cried Rosaline, but Zoe shook her head.

"I can't!" she shouted, louder this time in order to be heard over the now-deafening noise. "If I let go, then I'll be sucked into _that_!" She pointed to the vortex of leaves, and was almost dragged in.

"What do we do?" pleaded Ed, losing all of his goofiness.

"I have an inkling of a solution to our predicament!" stated Edd.

"Lose the long vocabulary, Double D!" shouted Rosaline. She was particularly snappy, for she was holding onto Eddy's body so that he wasn't dragged into the leaf twister.

"Shut up!" cried Nazz, clearly aggravated. "Double D, what's your plan?"

"Zoe, can you twist Ed round and around?"

"I'm not Wonder Woman," replied Zoe dryly," but I'll try!" She shifted her weight over to the right, as far as she could, and held onto Ed's jacket, albeit with a face that looked mildly disgusted.

"**Flare Boost**!"

Edd began to grow hotter and hotter, as a flame-red light surrounded his body. His eyes were now like burning embers, and the hot flames around him consumed oxygen every second.

"Zoe!" His voice sounded slightly distorted, and his open mouth looked to be on fire. "Through Ed to me!"

"I hope you know what you're doing, Eddward," whispered Zoe gravely, before heaving Ed over to the boy with all her might. Ed was instantly dragged into the air from the forceful pull of the wind, but Edd managed to latch onto his jacket.

"Nice catch Double D!" exclaimed Ed happily, as the hat-wearing boy held onto the taller boy's jacket with little effort, surprising Nazz, Zoe and Rosaline.

"How can he do that?" asked Rosaline incredulously. Though she spoke in a low voice, Zoe was able to hear her. "I mean, from what I've seen, Double D's not exactly a strong person…"

"That **Flare Boost **spell seems to have something to do with his newfound strength," replied Zoe, though Rosaline hardly heard her, for Edd was now swinging a laughing Ed around in the air. What was most odd was the fact that Ed shared the same red glow as Edd, even though it didn't look as hot and wasn't as bright.

"What're they doing?" asked Nazz, and she soon received an answer.

"Do what you must do, Ed!" called out Edd in the same distorted voice. He let go of Ed, and the said boy flew through the air towards the vortex. He had gained momentum from being thrown by Edd, and was still aglow with the same red light. He neared the vortex of whirling leaves, and readied his axe.

"**Fiery Vanquish**!"

The poker-hot axe slashed through the leaves, causing the troubling miniature storm to disappear and return to the previous calm.

"Well done Ed!" called Edd, who had lost the flaming glow and had returned to his normal appearance. However, the young in-training night was stunned to see Ed falling to the floor below, bashing his arm on the surface. He groaned and flopped onto his back, with blood streaming from his broken limb.

"Not again!" said Zoe despairingly.

"Someone must help him!" said Edd, brushing off the dirt on his tunic.

"I'll go," said Zoe, running over to the said boy. She knelt down beside him, and pressed her hands over his arm.

"**Cura**-"

One of the huge remaining seven vines slammed into Zoe, causing her to cry out in shock and pain, while flying through the room. Luckily, her fall was broken before she flew too far away. Unluckily, the thing that broke her fall was the wall of the huge, circular chamber. She slowly slid down it, bruises and cuts all over her body, with a small trickle of the crimson, life-giving liquid trickling out of the right-hand corner of her mouth. Her eyes were closed, and she lay motionless, slumped haphazardly against the wall.

"Z…Zoe…" whispered Edd, his blue eyes wide and his body trembling. Nazz looked on in pure horror, her hands at her mouth and tears forming in the ducts of her eyes, while Rosaline gasped, and looked down to the ground with sorrow and remorse.

"Why…?" asked Nazz after what seemed like an eternity looking at the lifeless corpse of Zoe. "WHY?" she screamed again, her voice echoing around the chamber; startling even Perphalus, who had respectfully given the Chosen Ones a moment to mourn the loss of their comrade.

"It's not fair…" sobbed Edd, slumping onto the ground. It was just then that the three conscious heroes present realized the true gravity of the situation. The monsters they fought were potentially lethal; they were able to kill, and an example of that kind of thing happening was poor Zoe. The Chosen Ones had fought of themselves as invincible; no matter what sticky situation they got into, whether it was fight or puzzle, they had so far managed to get out. Until now, that is…

"YOU!" snarled Nazz, spinning around to face Perphalus, who had an emotionless expression. "How could you?" The fury in her voice, which spat out like sizzling iron in water, indicated how angry she was at Perphalus.

"My job is to fight," replied Perphalus, "as is yours. Sacrifices must be made."

"A-at the cost o-of a human l-life?" spluttered Edd, salty tears streaming their way down his ghastly-pale face, with sunken, blood-shot eyes.

"If that is what must happen, then so be it."

"You monster!" cried Rosaline, pointing at the fiend.

"If you say that a life must be sacrificed in order to progress," said Nazz in a monotone-like voice, looking down at the floor, "then let's see if you will have the same outcome!" Nazz looked up again, and the mask of violent, vengeful, blood-thirsty rage that was present upon her normally pleasant face shocked those present.

"We s-shall avenge Z-Zoe…" stated Edd as well, standing up from the ground. "I won't let her death be in vain!"

"Let's do it then!" cried Nazz, and both she and Edd, weapons drawn, ran to Perphalus, while Rosaline looked on, a sick sensation flooding over her body rendering her unable to fight.

Therefore, nobody saw Zoe move into a more comfortable position.

ooo

AN: Do you honestly think I'd make her die?

ooo

As the drama unfolded inside the Temple, things outside were even worse. Of those present, all but Kevin, Rolf and Lindsay had fallen to the Blood Spiders.

"They're still coming!" cried out Kevin, as another wave of the blood-thirsty arachnids came out of the swarm gathered.

"Don't they ever stop?" asked Lindsay in a combination of a question and shout. She had given up aiming at vital parts of her enemy's body, and was now firing bullet after bullet into anything un-human that came near her.

"Rolf too is bewildered by how fast these spider-fiends spawn!" called out the Monk, smashing his fists into spider after spider.

"Who cares?" exclaimed Kevin, swiping at a row of them with his sword. "Just don't let them touch you!"

"No!" called out Lindsay suddenly, startling Kevin. He turned around, and grimly watched as Rolf was latched onto by several of the spiders."Rolf!" he called out, and tried to run towards him. However, it was too late; Rolf was already disappearing into the horde.

"Farewell, friends…" he whispered, as he vanished into the mass of shifting flesh.

"It's just us now," said Lindsay, putting her gun away and taking out her two signature knives, **Stab 'n' Jab**, "so let's last as long as we can.

"I'm with you," said Kevin, readying his sword. The two allies faced the Blood Spiders, and got ready for the fight that would determine one crucial fact; whether they would live or die in that place…

ooo

"Take this, you fiend!" cried Edd, as she slashed at one of the remaining vines on Perphalus. He and Nazz had been on a rampage against the Prince of Plants, and now only two vines (excluding the central one where Perphalus's head was) remained.

"How are we going to finish him off, Double D?" asked Nazz, a look of grim satisfaction on her face.

"I don't know…" replied Edd bitterly.

"Maybe the question you should be asking," said Perphalus darkly, in a sadistic tone, "is how I will be ending you!" He slammed the vine onto the floor again, and created another shockwave. The Rodan Mage and Knight merely jumped into the air, letting the shockwave pass under their feet.

"**Flame Ball**!"

A perfect sphere of fire erupted from Edd's outstretched finger, heading right for the face of Perphalus. The monster had enough time to gasp before the ball of fire struck him. He shrieked, and Nazz then continued the onslaught.

"**Ice**!"

A small, yet heavy ball of glacial, frozen water shot out from Nazz's left hand, and struck the base of the central vine. Perphalus groaned, and looked at her with fierce anger.

"Will you never stop?"

"Not until you're destroyed!" replied the blonde harshly.

"I agree!" called out Edd, readying his sword for another attack. "I will not rest until Zoe has been avenged!"

"Me too!" called out Rosaline, joining the fray. "You have ruthlessly injured three good friends of mine; do you think I will take that lying down?"

"No, indeed not," replied Perphalus, "which is why you will take it standing up!"

The last two vines snapped forward, and into both Edd and Rosaline. The human and girls Floranuss back into the wall with shocked expressions, when they both noticed the flowers on their chests. The buds opened, and the blue petals attached to the walls behind them, pinning Edd and Rosaline up like trophies.

"No!" called out Edd. "Nazz, please assist us!" Nazz looked back at him, shocked and beyond words. It was then that the petals were getting tighter, and Rosaline and Edd were being constricted as though they were in a python's grasp.

"Look at you, all alone," said Perphalus mockingly at Nazz. Suddenly he stopped, and looked at her. Nazz had a peaceful expression on her face, and her body was aglow with emerald-green light, pure, clear and bright. "What…what is this?"

"Power," whispered Nazz, and her eyes, glowing the same green, shot open.

"**Growth**!"

A mass of twisting roots burst out of the ground, attacking Perphalus with mighty strength. Nazz's Ultimate Attack was enough to finally finish off the Princes of Plants, but there was one thing left.

"Take this, you meanie!" called the Rodan Mage, running up to him with her staff ready. She jumped from brown root to brown root, until she was nearly at his face. She jumped once more, and bashed the staff into his face.

A blinding white light engulfed the chamber…

ooo

"I can't go on…" breathed Lindsay, still slashing through the swarm of Blood Spiders. They were all around her, everywhere at once. Suddenly, a white light as blinding as the sun materialised; Lindsay felt the Spiders disappearing, heard them shrieking…and then they were gone, and she and the unharmed Chosen Ones were transported into the Temple of Nature.

ooo

"Ow…my achin' head…"

"Eddy! You're ok!"

"Oof! Watch it, ya big lummox!"

"Eddy? Is that you?"

"Wait…Z-Zoe?"

"Yes?"

The whiteness that surrounded each Chosen One slowly vanished, to reveal them standing in the chamber where Perphalus was fought; minus the said monster. Instantly, Edd and Nazz jumped Zoe, who looked fine.

"You're ok!" exclaimed Nazz cheerfully.

"Indeed I am," nodded Zoe. "I heard what you guys said; I was only unconscious."

"It truly is great that you defeated Perphalus…" spoke a new, slightly familiar voice. The others turned to where it originated from, and saw a portal made of glowing green light. Out of the portal stepped a figure cloaked in green.

"Wait…" said Nazz slowly. "Naturia?"

"Indeed," said the Sage of Nature, pulling down her hood and unbuttoning the cloak at the front. Green hair fell to her knees, with two large bangs in front of her face. Her eyes were the same shade of green, and the dress under her cloak was long, green and sleeveless. "I must congratulate you; defeating Perphalus was no easy feat."

"Who?" asked Kevin.

"Perphalus was a plant monster we just fought," explained Rosaline, to which Kevin nodded.

"Now, there are two matters I must attend to," spoke Naturia softly. "Rosaline, my dear, please come forward." The Floranuss princess suddenly looked very excited, and she almost ran to Naturia.

"Am I…?" she asked in a whisper, as if it was almost to good to be true. The others looked on in confusion to her reaction.

"Yes," smiled Naturia, and Rosaline screamed and cheered crazily.

"YES!" she cried out, doing a sort of victory dance. "In your face, Bloomadeur!"

"What the hell is up with you?" asked Eddy a little fearfully.

"I'm the new Forest Sage!" exclaimed Rosaline joyfully.

"What's that?" asked Jonny.

"The Forest Sage works along I, the Sage of Nature, in order to preserve the presence of Nature in the world," said Naturia. "Since Rosaline's grandfather-may the Gods rest his soul-passed on from this life, Rosaline is now the new Forest Sage."

"Congrats, Rosie!" cheered Eddy, along with the others. Rosaline merely blushed and giggled, while saying, "Thanks guys!"

"Now, the other matter," spoke Naturia, causing all those present to look at her. She reached out her right hand, and something green and glowing began to form in it. The others looked on in wonder until a small, perfectly formed crystal was in Naturia's hand.

"Is that the Crystal of Nature?" asked May.

"Yes, it is," said the Sage of Nature, "and it now belongs to you." Nazz stepped forward, and Naturia handed her the Crystal of Nature.

"We did it!"

Ooo

AN: And so ends the Nature Arc, which lasted from chapters 7-13! In your reviews, tell me your favourite part of the arc and why. So, this chapter was a little darker, but at least they got the Crystal!

Lilienne: Indeed, and now onto this chapter's "Fun Cul-de-sac Facts". This week, the subject of analysis is Jennifer, "The Drama Queen". Was it known to thou that:

1. Jennifer's favourite colours are dusk-orange and golden-yellow?

2. Jennifer has starred in 117 theatrical productions since the age of five?

3. That Jennifer is actually "Ms Magic," a columnist on the Peach Creek Junior High tattler who provides relationship advice?

4. That Jennifer hates people who are in a bad mood for absolutely no reason?

5. Jennifer is scared of high places (because she once nearly fell off a cliff) and fire (because she once saw a house burning down)?

6. Jennifer's favourite school subjects are Drama, Art and English?

7. Jennifer's favourite food is foie gras because that was all she ever really ate when she was younger?

8. Jennifer's real name is Guenièvre, a French variant of the Cornish name Jennifer, which is a variant of Guinevere?

9. Jennifer loves ice-skating, rollerblading and dancing, along with singing and playing the violin?

10. That Jennifer is incredibly bossy and temperamental?

Me: So, remember to review; and look out for the next chapter!

-LucasBravvus97


	14. Chapter 14: Monster Diary Volume One

AN: So, for this chapter, we take a break from the usual action to see what the other characters are up to. For chapters like these, we'll be missing out the "Fun Cul-de-sac Facts". Also, considerable darkness in this chapter; but don't worry, for it'll lighten up in the following chapters.

Chapter Fourteen: Monster Diary Volume One

ooo

14th July 1324

_So we're here at the entrance to the Manalia Forest, in a little village called Manarton trying to track down a rather elusive creature; the Great White Unicorn. This particular genus belongs to the _Arusemnut Igsarrto _class of Unicorns, which consists of the White, Black and Gray families._

_The Great White (_Umixasm Salnbuc_) is one of the more rarer monsters that inhabits this planet (Note: Monster simply means any creature that is not counted as a civilised species). Apparently, the last fully recorded sighting of a Great White was around two hundred years ago; the written evidence on the sighting was found in a well-preserved document inside the library of Manalia Abbey. Before that, it was said that Great White sightings were fairly common, but dwindled in the late 12__th__ Century, until they were considered one of the rarest monsters of Gaia by 1249: around the middle of the 13__th__ Century, and not even a hundred years ago._

_Monsterologists, like myself, have sought after this magnificent, glorious creature for many, many years. Until recently, searching for beings like this (especially in the Manalia Forest) was a dangerous task; as we Monsterologists are typically (I stress that word) Scholars, we are not…accustomed to fighting monsters; and why would we wish to harm the creatures that we wish to study? However, recently created techniques for studying monsters, along with Royal (!) funding has allowed progress to be made in our field of study._

_So that's why I'm here today, along with several other companions, to search for this beast. Usually we study monsters in the safety of labs, but I've always been one for field research. I guess that's why I've not been offered position as Head of the Monsterology Department at the University of Areth; I'm too progressive…_

_I have to go now; we're leaving for the centre of the forest. If I can't find a Great White Unicorn, then my name isn't Taileia Tilafore! _

_-Taileia Tilafore_

ooo

Taileia put down the ink-filled dip pen she was writing with, and gently brushed off any spare ink on the nib with a plain beige cloth. She packed away the pen and cloth into a little metallic case, made of a cold black material, that was also filled with other writing materials (pens, pencils, erasers, a ruler etc) all arranged in a neat order. She closed the case, and packed it away in her leather bag. She slung it onto her shoulder, made sure that the latched were tightly sealed, and walked out of the room where she had slept that night.

The first floor hallway of the Manarton Inn was a relatively pleasing sight, with the wooden walls decorated with paintings and such. Taileia descended the stairs at the other end of the hallway, emerging in the booking area of the inn. Here were the other members of her expedition; admittedly, four was not enough, but it was all she was granted by the University council.

Alezia, a White Mage student at A.U. , had marine-blue hair in a bun on her head (with the style, oddly, looking like a plant with leaves) and eyes the same colour. She wore a long blue tunic, with a brown buckled belt around the waist and a darker blue cloak that reached the back of her knees. She wore trousers of navy-blue denim, along with black rubber gloves and boots. Her staff was oak, and pole-like, with a gold-ringed bludgeon at the top and a cube at the bottom.

Jaron, a young Dragoon, wore armour made from mythril, with gauntlets, sabatons, kneecaps, a shield, spear, helmet and body armour made from the metal. His combed red hair was hidden beneath the helmet, but his foggy-grey eyes were visible to the human eye.

Maybel, a practitioner of Black Magic at the University, wore black shoes, with slight heels. A pleated coal-black skirt fell straight to her knees, and the blazer she wore was part of the official University uniform; a cherry-red in colour, with white cuffs on the sleeves, golden buttons and a yellow-gold line pattern at the bottom. The white shirt she wore underneath was accompanied by a rich-green tie, with a golden crown, two tomes on either side, emblem on it: the insignia of the University of Areth. Her curly brown hair framed her face, falling to her shoulders, and her green eyes tinkled as they were surrounded by pink eye-shadow. The gnarled oak staff in her right hand was what she used to initiate her magic.

Dracol, a young Thief of the Guild Association of Areth, wore a yellow bandana over his equally-yellow hair. His black eyes shone with cunning, and he had on a yellow-orange tunic, red pants and brown leather boots that made no sound as he walked. He wielded a simple mythril knife as his weapon, though it had served him well in his time as a Thief.

"Miss Taileia!" remarked Maybel courteously, curtseying as one of her teachers entered the room. Though she was the same age as most of the students at the University (around 18) Taileia, as a result of her great intellect, had attended already, and graduated two years before; now she had assumed role of a Monsterology professor. "Did you have a pleasant night?"

"Yes, I did," replied Taileia with a smile. "Thank you for asking, Maybel. Did you?"

"Indeed, Miss. It was a great difference to the dormitory accommodations at the University, but a pleasant stay nonetheless."

"That's good," nodded the Scholar. "What about you three?"

"It was fun!" replied Alezia, in a peppy voice. "I heard three owls last night!"

"It was alright," said Jaron nonchalantly, looking to his right.

"My bed was ruined!" replied Dracol angrily. "I couldn't get a wink of sleep last night!"

"If that is so, why did I hear you snoring deeply as I passed by to attend the lavatory?" asked Maybel sceptically.

"Ooops…" said Dracol slowly, realizing he had been exposed by Maybel, the snobbish Black Mage!

"Well, what do we do now, Miss?" asked Alezia, trying to contain her excitement at field research.

"We got all our supplies yesterday, so now all we need to do is go out into Manalia Forest and begin our expedition."

ooo

AN: In the next Monster Diary Volume, we will see what has happened to Taileia's team so far. Now, however, it is time for another much more…_interesting…_ part of the chapter…

ooo

Darkness.

Darkness everywhere.

Was the darkness false, or did it just come about naturally?

If there was an answer, it had long been forgotten for more important matters in the hellish realm that was the Underworld. The Hell of the Universe. The physical manifestation of Darkness and, sadly, evil.

The place where Darkness and Death ruled hand-in-hand.

The sky was black, as though you were looking up into a huge endless pit of nothingness. The flat earth was charred and rocky, as though, a very long time ago, grass had bloomed upon the Desolate Plains; now the grass was cinders and soot whirling about in the freezing gales. High in the black sky was a sun of fire, an ominous orb hanging at the very top of the sky of this retched world. From its position, the sun was a sickening red in colour, and hot tongues of flame licked at the sky around it; indeed, the sun of this world was considered a sinister omen of death and destruction.

The walled city at the centre of this world was the city of the monsters and the damned: Punista. The cobble-stone streets were covered in scrapings of flesh and gore, while rivers of vile crimson blood ran down the gutters at the side of the street, flowing down into the disgusting catacombs below the dark place. The houses were dark; the stone, roof and anything else made of stone were as black as ebony; it seemed as if the sky and roof of each building were both one, merging into the same endless blackness. Red lights, like miniature versions of the sun, hung from tall black poles on each street, casting their evil bloody shadows over the cobbles.

The beings that stalked these streets were few and far between in their appearance; some were stout and ugly, with huge claws and fangs, while others were tall, gauntly and pale, with glowing eyes and hissing tongues. No one knew where these demons had came from; were they natural species, created along with the rest of their Hell? Or were they the souls of the damned, dragged into the fiery depths of the Underworld by Faith herself, transformed into monstrous beings that corresponded to their crimes and personality? Perhaps it was neither, or maybe it was both; it wasn't known...

At the very centre of the grotesque metropolis was the unholy centre of evil in all of creation, of the whole universe. The Palace of Darkness stood tall and imposing, the countless black towers nearly reaching up to touch the dead sun. Around the castle was a moat; a moat of blood, fire and shadows; the three substances mixed together in a terrible mix of red and black. After the moat were the castle gardens (a place of rotting, decaying plants) and the castle itself. Inside the castle was a rather different story than the city outside. The walls were immaculately clean, as were the floors. The walls were black in colour, and purple fire hung from torches on the wall. At the heart of the place, near the top of the central tower, was a small, circular room, with one end bathed in utter shadows and the other bathed in blue-tinged light. The end with the shadows seemed to have many bookcases lining the wall, and the other end was bare with a large metal door the only thing of interest.

"So..." spoke a voice from the shadows, "...you failed in your mission." A tall, red velvet chair came into view, and a tall, masculine figure could be seen sitting in it. "You haven't ever failed me before; are you losing your touch, Faith?"

"No, Your Darkness," replied Faith in a small voice that echoed shame (which was very unusual for her). She was standing at the other end of the room, in the blue light, looking down at the floor and clutching her trident closely to her while wringing her hands. "I'm sorry."

The man in the chair sighed disappointedly, slowly tapping the right armrest of his chair with his hand on the same side. "Perhaps you are. But aren't you officially the most untrustworthy person in all of the Underworld? How do I know if you are lying?"

A small smirk began to play on her face at her master's humour. "Perhaps I am, Your Unholiness. But you know me better than that, don't you?"

"Indeed. Why do you think the scumbag Chosen Ones succeeded in gaining the Crystal of Nature where _you _failed?"

Faith sounded looked slightly angry, and there was a bitter tone in her voice as she said, "I suppose there is a possibility that I underestimated them...But I believe firmly that it was just beginners luck."

"How do you know? The others, including me, had to decide who to chose to be the Chosen Ones. I know how strong they are, and you're, in fact, wrong in your assumptions."

"What do you mean?" asked Faith in a dead-pan manner, as if she already knew the answer.

"You did indeed underestimate them. Although they've not yet fully unlocked their full abilities, they are indeed` growing stronger every day; the Chosen One of Nature, although it is an insignificant Element, has already began the awakening process. It is only a matter of time before the others do."

"And I will stop them," said Faith in a proud smirk. "Didn't I already prove that when I attacked their home?"

"That was merely a copy of their dwelling," reasoned the man in shadows. "It wasn't their home you destroyed. Besides, they still managed to get to Gaia."

"Yes," said Faith, sounding ashamed again, "those X-Kankers failed where I would have succeeded." She looked at a new-looking sword hanging on the wall of the room. "They deserved to be..._recycled. _And their biological halves are being tortured as we speak."

"Good..." purred the man darkly. "Now, onto your next assignment."

"I already know," stated Faith. "I must travel to the Temple of Fire."

"Indeed," replied the man. "Now, you will go tomorrow. Though you ultimately failed in your duty, you did a good job. Now, you are dismissed. If I do not see you before you depart, then may the blessings of the Underworld and I be with you."

"Thank you, O Dark One," replied Faith, bowing as she did so. She slowly backed away, towards the door, and gently opening it, closing it again with a soft thud as she slipped out in the darkness. She gently walked down the stairs of the tower until she reached the bottom, emerging into a dark hall that connected to the Main Hall.

_Mistress was scolded_, spoke a dark voice as The Swarm materialised behind its mistress.

"Before I skin you alive," replied Faith bitterly, "I'd like you to shut up with that infernal racket of yours."

_Swarm detects Mistress is irritated._

"Shut up!"

As the two advanced down the hallway, throwing taunts and curses at each other, Faith began to sense that the residents of the castle had been changed slightly in their manners. The Droinids, blue-skinned beasts with black spiky hairs and eyes as white as snow that worked as the Palace guards, looked at her with a sense of authority and stood up straight as she passed, casting reproachful glances at her. Faith looked at them oddly; before they had been fearful, and nervously bowed whenever she passed them. She walked into the Main Hall where the throne of her master was, and noted that the Pailos, timid, ghastly-looking ghosts that functioned as maids, looked at her and whispered to their comrades, whereas before they failed to meet her eyes and always stammered when she spoke to her.

_Swarm detects that the slaves have changed during Swarm and Mistress's absence, _spoke the sentient shadow inside Faith's mind.

_I sense it too_, thought Faith, glancing around at the gawking slaves. _They seem to be unafraid of me. _Her skin paled slightly. _We'll have to change that_.

"Are you Faith?" spoke a voice. Faith slowly turned around, and saw a group of Droinids flanking two well-armoured soldiers. One, a male, had short, clean-cut silver hair, with a forked tongue and coal-red eyes. The other, a female, had lighter armour on and a helmet that hid her eyes. She did have fangs and talons, though, and her long straight red hair was visible.

"Yes," spoke Faith slowly. "What's it to you?"

"I am Flagius, newly promoted General of the Underworld Military. This is my first Lieutenant, Gremga," he spoke, gesturing to his female companion, who only nodded at Faith. "As your superiors, we believe that you should hand over the responsibility of the Chosen Ones assignment to us." As Faith looked incredulously at him, the slaves around them murmured approvingly at the statement. Faith suddenly realised why they seemed so confident; with the arrival of this Flagius idiot, Faith was apparently going to be put in her place. As if that would ever happen.

"Give my mission to you?" laughed Faith hysterically. "To _you_?"

"Yes," replied Flagius, a bit miffed. "As your superior, I am taking control."

"Do as he says, **thicb**," said Gremga, speaking for the first time. Faith stopped laughing and looked at her. Time seemed to stop as the servants gathered in the Main Hall gasped in shock at what Gremga had said to Faith. The archdemon slowly stopped walking, and stood as still as if she were a statue. The silence that had gathered in the great hall was terrifyingly ominous; a pin, dropped in the castle basement, could have been heard.

Slowly, Faith turned around, so that she was looking straight at Flagius and, more importantly, Gremga. Her pitiless black eyes were as cold as an Arctic night, and her neutral facial expression looked as hard as a boulder. "Well," she said suddenly, shattering the sinister silence, "what have we here?" Faith began to advance towards Gremga, who paled slightly . Faith made sure that every step she took was agonisingly slow, so that it added further torment for her victim.

"What is the meaning of this?" barked Flagius, when Faith cast a glance at him. No one except the two of them saw what happened; Faith, smirking, bore holes into his eyes, while Flagius looked back in a dazed manner. After about five seconds, he gasped in shock, and backed off away from Faith.

_It always works_, spoke The Swarm inside Faith's head as she began, once again, to move toward Gremga, who was sweating slightly.

"You have power in you," said Faith quietly, but her voice echoed in the hall. "I can see that. The Darkness within your heart is great; no wonder you're a member of the army. You are a Dark Dragoon, and you wield your spear in battle against your foes." By now, Faith was standing right next to the helmeted demon-woman. She reached out a hand, and began to feel Gremga's hair, as she walked around the Dark Dragoon (who was standing absolutely still). "I can feel that you are strong and powerful, and the shadows around you only help the darkness to envelop your heart more. However…"

The changed in Faith's tone made Gremga even more fearful. "You wear a helmet with a visor not because you want to, but because you _have _to," spoke the fiend darkly. "Before you became what you are now, you were a human weren't you?" Gremga merely stood there, allowing Faith to run her cold hands through her hair. "Judging by how you were a helmet, you were a murderer. You died before your twentieth birthday, and you murdered your family when you were 17. A year later you were executed, and her soul came to the Underworld, where you received a sentence from no other but I." Gremga began to tremble slightly, and bead of sweat trickled out from under her helmet. "I believe your punishment was the removal of your eyes, correct?" Faith grabbed hold of the metal bronze helmet, and yanked it off of Gremga's head.

Faith's assumption was correct; where Gremga's eyes should have been were instead two empty sockets, the black holes slowly leaking blood. The crimson liquid ran down her face like tears, slowing staining the white tunic she wore under her armour.

"Poor unfortunate soul," said Faith sympathetically, though the sarcasm that laced her voice was incredibly obvious.

"Please…" gasped Gremga sorrowfully, reaching out her hands blindly towards Faith, trying to grab at the demon or her helmet back. "Give it back…"

"I don't think so," said Faith sickeningly , with an innocent smile. She held the helmet tantalizingly close to Gremga's outstretched fingers, but just out of reach. "Are you sorry?"

"For what?" asked the now-blind Dark Dragoon, as the blood coming out of her eyes.

"For calling me a **thicb**."

"I'm sor-"

"Lies!"

Faith viciously slapped the right side of Gremga's face, causing the female demon to scream and the servants gathered in the Main Hall to gasp. The attack done a lot more damaged than it should have done; instead of leaving a vivid red mark, the skin had burst open as though it was a porcelain vase that Faith had shattered. The skin and flesh underneath it had burst in a shower of blood and gore, and white bone was visible behinds Gremga's trembling hand which clutched the wound.

"Please!" gasped the demon, as dark-red blood from her cheek wound flowed into her open mouth. "Have mercy!"

"Then are you sorry?" asked Faith sweetly again, raising her hand as she did so.

"Yes! Yes! I am so sorry, O Great One, for my insolence, my insignificant worth…" Faith looked decidedly bored and uninterested as Gremga desperately babbled excuses for her insolence to Faith. Finally, Faith laid her cold, ivory hand on Gremga's open wound, causing her to hiss and stop talking.

"Now that you have apologised," said Faith, "I assume you will realise your place and keep to it." Faith began to walk a good 2 metres away before she continued talking. "The Darkness within your body is so strong and plentiful…we could create marvellous things with it; marvellous things indeed!"

Gremga sighed in relief as Flagius helped her to her feet.

"But that does not mean you are to be excluded from punishment!

That was when everything went wrong.

Gremga, now standing, gasped in horror at what Faith had said, while Flagius' eyes widened as he ran for cover. In the next three seconds, Faith spun around, a crackling ball of Dark Fire and Dark Electricity in her hand and a manic, crazed expression upon her face.

"No!" screamed Gremga, as Faith launched the ball of Dark energy.

When it hit her, Gremga's bloodcurdling scream rang throughout the entire castle. Her body busted into hot fire, as visible jolts of light-blue lightning surged throughout her being. In desperation, she tried to rip off her clothes; but it was too late, for her skin was already aflame.

"Gremga! You should have known better than to call Lady Faith a thicb," said Flagius disapprovingly, shaking his head. Gremga only looked at her companion with astonishment, as though her punishment was just. She tried to pull off her helmet and run away from the fire, but the purple flames constantly moved around her, roasting the flesh from her bone as she screamed in pain.

"Please let me go!" begged Gremga, getting down on all fours and crawling over to Faith. As the archdemon looked on with disgust, metal chains shout out of the wall on either side, snaking swiftly to where Gremga was. They wrapped and intertwined around her smouldering body, until all that was visible of her was her head. Though she was badly burnt, Gremga was saved from the fire. "Thank you, Mistress!" she gasped, gulping for air. It was at that point that she noticed something; the chains around her were lifting her up into the air, and they began to move over a pit (conveniently placed at the middle of the Main Hall) filled with Dark Fire, black lava and all kinds of flammable, burning matter. Gremga stared down in horror at the hole in the floor, and back at Faith, her charred eyes catching her sardonic grin.

"Drop her in."

As the chains holding onto Gremga sharply descended into the pit, the screams that erupted from her bloody mouth were even more louder and harrowing that the ones that had sounded when she first combusted. As the lava and such burned off her skin, the screams dwindled down until all that could be heard was sobbing and gasping for breath as Gremga was gently raised form the pit by the chains…and dropped right back in again.

"Look at this filth," spoke Faith to all who were present. "Look at what she has to suffer for her unspeakable crimes. It's a fair punishment, right?" A murmur of agreement ran throughout the slaves. "However, do any of you moronic slaves know what I hate even more than a traitor like this? A person who abandons their comrades in the field of danger, unless they're important like myself. A person…" (she pointed accusingly at Flagius), "like you!"

"Please, no!" cried the warrior.

"Swarm," commanded Faith loudly, "please dispose of this…animal."

_Yes Mistress_, resonated the shadow being, and shot toward Flagius in streaks of shadow. The warrior turned and tried to flee, but The Swarm-travelling at the speed of light-reached him quickly and moved through his body in a clean, slicing motion. As the silhouetted being left its prey's body, the Dark Warrior stopped moving and looked at the wall with an anguished expression. Suddenly blood began to seep from his arms, and his body fell apart like a broken mannequin.

"Now," spoke Faith, "come here." Gremga, out of the pit, was flung across the hall to Faith's feet. Her black body lay motionless, and she was barely breathing. "Oh dear…" said Faith in mock sympathy. "You poor dear, burnt like that."

"Please…" wheezed Gremga like a faulty bagpipe. "Just kill me…please…"

"Why would I do that?" asked Faith. "If we wait, say, a millennium or two, then you will have healed; and I think you will have learned your lesson. Now," and here Faith motioned to several guards, "escort her to the prison chambers." She grabbed what was left of Gremga's sooty hair, and roughly heaved her up with it. The punished demon opened her mouth in pain, but no scream came out; it was as if her ability to speak had now suddenly left her. The silent, armoured guards began to drag her along the ground towards one of the many doors in the Main Hall, and Gremga only trembled as she was dragged to her prison.

_Mistress done well_, spoke The Swarm, materialising beside Faith.

"Yes; yes I did," said Faith proudly. "As I said, a few millennia of endless suffering and agony from her burns, along with severe capital punishment, should do that uncivilised barbarian a world of good." Faith noticed that the Droinids and Pailos were still looking at her.

"And what are you still doing here?" roared Faith. "Get out now, before I have each and every one of you things crucified!" The beings began to revert back into their shells; the Droinids bowed fearfully as Faith swept past them, and the Pailos refused to meet her obsidian-black eyes.

_They fear me_, said Faith inside her mind, _and I love it_!

_Swarm felt Mistress's happiness_, echoed the monotonic voice inside her skull.

_Of course you did, fool. Our minds are both connected._

As Faith walked through the hallways of the Palace of Darkness, she came across a most unusual sight. Two Droinids guards, both looking slightly inexperienced in their duties. They were heaving a bulging brown sack down the narrow room, their faces red and sweaty from the effort.

"Oh!" cried one of the guards, the other jumping as he did so. "L-Lady Faith!"

"What have you got there?" asked the archdemonic fiend curiously, staring at the sack as if she could bore holes in it with her eyes.

"W-we have a s-special request b-by Lord S-Shadeus himself," stammered the guard, and Faith pushed him onto the floor.

"Must you stammer when you speak?" she asked cynically. "Are you an imbecile?"

"No, Your Demoness," said the guard, doing his best not to stutter while he spoke to the imposing woman.

"I thought not," smirked Faith. "Now, let me see what is in the bag." The two guards quickly untied the bag, and pulled it back to allow Faith to see what was inside.

A young girl, about nine years old, lay peacefully in the bag, her eyes shut tight and her mouth slightly hanging open. The sleeping girl had short black hair, which reached her chin, with dark violet streaks throughout it. She wore a simple white t-shirt, with a black pleated skirt underneath it and white sheepskin shoes with violet soles. Faith stared at the girl as if she were an oddity. "Where did you find her?"

"We snatched her from a house in Areth," explained the second guard. "She was lying at a desk, as if she were writing something, only she was fast asleep."

"Why did you take her?"

"I'm not too sure…It was Lieutenant Flagius' orders, miss."

"Well, that Flagius fool is dead, so I think I'll be taking the girl into custody."

The two guards looked alarmed and shocked at news of Flagius' death. "Lieutenant Flagius…is dead?" asked the first guard incredulously, an astounded tone in his voice. "How did he die?"

"The Swarm killed him," said Faith. "He was rude to me, so I think he justly deserved his punishment." The two guards looked wide-eyed at Faith, before looking downcast.

"I agree, Lady F-Faith," said the first soldier with a slight stutter. "What s-shall we do with the p-prisoner?"

"Detain her in a suitable room."

"Not a cell?"

"No. If this human is valuable in some way, then she will function as a hostage. So I want her to be kept safe, got it?"

"Yes Ma'am!"

The two soldiers saluted Faith smartly, before both of them picked up the girl, carrying her between them. She stirred slightly, but didn't mover after that. Faith watched as she was carried away to her holding room.

_Swarm thinks that human will be good bargaining tool_.

_As do I, _replied Faith telepathically. _If we can use her as a tool for negotiations, then we'll have all the Crystals from the Chosen Ones in no time at all_! Faith began to cackle with manic glee as she stalked through the hallways towards her personal chambers…

ooo

AN: So, I am expecting that people will have some questions about this chapter, and I'll answer the main one right now; no, this wasn't pointless! This chapter's purpose was to introduce us to the "Monster Diary Volumes", which will generally come after a chapter in which an Elemental Crystal is gained. These chapters will be a focal point of the series, and it provides a break from the central plot into other views of an adventure on Gaia. In fact, the four characters who are accompanying Taileia on her expedition to find the Great White Unicorn are based on my party characters from Dragon Quest IX: Sentinels of the Starry Skies (albeit with slight name alterations).

Now, the second part of the chapter was probably the darkest I've wrote in this entire story, even considering the fake (but still disturbing) death of Zoe in the last chapter! I guess the burning of Gremga etc. was pointless, but it did serve as an introduction to Faith's character. Apart from several sightings scattered across the story, Faith has not had a unique chapter as of now, so I suppose you could count this as her chapter. Even though Shadeus (i.e. Your Demoness, Your Darkness, Your Unholiness) is the one who the Chosen Ones have to stop, Faith is, to be honest, the main antagonist of this story, and quite possibly the entire series; therefore, I want to develop her character more. And yes, the girl at the end of the chapter is a relative of Taileia's; what gave you the hint?

Anyways, I'm sorry for boring you all with this particularly long author's note, but I just wanted to clear some things up about the chapter. Thank you to all of those who have reviewed, including:

Anonymous

Sage of Dorks

BNVshark123

Valkyriex

Seto Ayami Master of Darkness

Jay Zero Snake

Nat-Nat18Natalie

PRIVATE Corp

Thank each and every one of you so much for your kind reviews! I'm really pleased that you have all taken time out of your lives and probably busy schedules to read my story. Thanks so much! I still need more reviews but, so I'm going to keep stressing this until I do; I allow anonymous reviews! Even if you don't have a account, you can still review my stories! I don't care how long the review is, where it's one line or a hundred; all I want is more reviews! So make sure you click on those three little blue words at the bottom of the page; go on, you know you want to…

Anyways, I don't have anything else to say, except that I hope you have enjoyed the story so far. Next chapter will be another similar to this, where the Chosen Ones return to Areth to find the location of the next Crystal. After that, though, if the Fire Arc, so make sure you keep watching for new updates. Thanks once again, and bye!

-LucasBravvus97


	15. Chapter 15: Running Back to Areth

AN: So here we are; the beginning of the Fire Arc in the storyline. I don't know how long this arc will be, but it'll be a good few chapters; maybe six or seven (I don't know!). Also, I may or may not introduce the next species at the end of this chapter; we'll see how I feel.

Lilienne: Why dost thou form promises to the readers that thou cannot keep?

Me: I can! Stop being such a meanie!

Lilienne: Hah! Foolish boy; thy is the true leader here.

Me: Look; I practically invented you, so shut it.

Lilienne: *Slightly annoyed expression on her face* Very well then. Still, thy would like to announce a factor of thy own as well.

Me: What?

Lilienne: There is a poll on the profile page of the author; please, do inspect it and vote. Make sure thou chooses wisely now.

Me: Is that a threat to the readers?

Lilienne: Yes. Yes it is.

Me: …

Chapter Fifteen: Running Back to Areth

ooo

"So, what do you guys think we're doing next?"

Eddy was lazily reclining in the wicker chair, while the guys he were referring to were elsewhere in the lounge-like room. Zoe was seated at a mahogany table, with a large book open before her and a notepad next to the book, and she was using to pen in her hand to carefully write several words down on the notepad. Kevin was lying sleepily on a wooden couch with soft, padded coverings, and his hat over his face, while May was busy picking wood off her teeth in the corner of the room (where she thought no one could see her).

After gaining the Crystal of Nature from the Temple of Nature, along with Rosaline awakening as the Forest Sage, the Chosen Ones had returned to Floriana. Instead of having to trek back throughout Areth Forest again, however, Naturia transported them to the Floranuss capital by magic (which was far more convenient than their previous method of transport). Since their trials and tribulations the previous day in the Temple, the Chosen Ones had been relaxing in Castle Floriana.

"I don't know," said Zoe, glancing up from her notepad. "If we think about it, since we just got the Crystal of Nature, then the Fire Crystal would be next."

"Where's that gonna be?"

"Fire; volcano, furnace, Hell etc. , but I like the first choice."

"Wow!" cried May awkwardly, as her fingers were still picking at her teeth. "A volcano! Cool!"

"Yeah," said Kevin dryly (and in a muffled voice), "volcanoes are cool; if you like getting burnt to a crisp."

"Oh…" May's spirits seemed a little diminished by Kevin's honest remark.

"So Zoe," said Kevin, taking his hat off of his face, "what are you doing with that book and notepad?"

"I'm writing my Spell Guide," said Zoe happily.

"You're what?" asked Eddy confusedly.

"A Spell Guide. Rosaline told me about it; it's like a diary that Mages keep, and they write what spells they used, and when they first used the, etc."

"Bo-ring!" said Eddy, grabbing the note from Zoe's hands.

"Eddy!" cried Zoe indignantly. "Please give it back to me!" Eddy merely laughed at her, and began skimming over the notes on the page. He saw that **Water**, **Poisona**, and **Cure **were among the spells written down, and he tossed the notepad back at Zoe, who deftly caught it.

"Eddy!" scolded Zoe, sounding very similar to her brother. "How dare you treat another's possession like that! Would you like it if I tossed your record player out of the window?"

"I have plenty of 'em, so it don't bother me."

Zoe growled in frustration, an angry shade of red appearing on her face. "You just don't listen, do you?" she demanded. "Everything Eddward and I say to you about being a better person goes in one ear and out of the other!"

"So?" asked Eddy nonchalantly, examining his knife. "I only listen to cool stuff, not nagging advice." After he said this, Zoe looked so angry and red in the face that May expected the vein in her forehead to pop.

"Dude!" said Kevin angrily, managing to somehow refrain from calling the conniving Ed a dork. "Stop disrespecting Zoe!"

"Shut it, Shovel-Chin!" barked Eddy. "Just cause you have a crush on Zoe doesn't mean ya have to stick up for her!"

Before Zoe or Kevin, both looking very embarrassed, could reply, Rebecca stormed through the doorway.

"Ok! Where is he?" she asked.

"Who?" asked Zoe quietly, still red (though from blushing instead of anger).

"Eddy! I heard him shouting some…well…_unseemly _things, so I thought I'd teach him a little lesson about how he doesn't annoy my cousin."

"Oh," said Kevin. "In that case, the shrimp's cowering under that table." Kevin was now pointing to the table where Zoe had previously sat, and Eddy who was lying underneath it. Rebecca smiled darkly, and began to drag out the short boy from his hiding place.

"Please!" begged Eddy. "Have mercy!"

"Oh, I don't think I-"

"There you are!" said Rosaline, entering through the open doorway. "I've been looking for you guys." Rosaline paused when she saw Rebecca holding a terrified Eddy close to her face, grabbing onto the collar of his top.

"Um… Hi?" greeted Rebecca awkwardly.

"Have I come at a bad time?" asked Rosaline half-jokingly.

"No!" said Eddy gleefully. "No, you haven't!" He wriggled from Rebecca's grasp, and walked over to Rosaline, cowering slightly behind the plant-girl.

"So, you're probably wondering why I'm here, right?" asked Rosaline. Sounds of acknowledgements came from the Humans gathered. "Well, the others are waiting for us in the stables downstairs."

"Why the stables?" asked Zoe. Rosaline merely looked back with a teasing expression.

"Can't tell you!" she replied in an annoying sing-song voice. "If you want to know, you have to come down!" Rosaline skipped out through the door, and the humans gathered, having no other choice, followed her.

ooo

"So, we're all here," said Marie. "What's this all about?" The other Chosen Ones were idly sitting around in the castle stables, which was a long, rectangular room with an open door at the far end, leading into sunlit forest space.

"Well, as you know," started Rosaline, "you have to go back to Areth-and I mean the city, not the kingdom. Anyways, you came here to Floriana by Airship, right?"

"Yeah, we did," said Kevin.

"Does this mean we're getting' our own Airship?" asked Eddy excitedly, climbing onto Ed's head with a greedy gleam in his eyes, while the lovable oaf underneath him just laughed nonsensically.

"No," said Rosaline, looking at him a little weirdly. "None of you know how to drive one, so why the Underworld would we give you one?"

"Can't you drive it?" asked Rebecca.

"Two things; one, I don't know how to drive an Airship. It's not a practical skill for Floranuss to learn. Second of all, I'm…not coming with you."

"What?" asked Nazz shocked; most of the others looked surprise as well. "You're not coming with us?"

"I can't…" sighed Rosaline, smiling ruefully as she did so. "I have to learn the ways of the Forest Sage-Naturia herself is going to teach me!-so I have to stay here. But you guys will find other people to help you, so I wouldn't worry too much about it."

"If you're sure…" said Edd. "I'm going to miss you, Rosaline." Suddenly, the earthlings swarmed around Rosaline, hugging her and engaging in other sentimental activities.

"Ok, ok!" cried Rosaline happily, her eyes slightly puffy with an unusual greenness about them. "I get it, I'll be missed!"

"Why are your eyes green?" asked Zoe, who was the closest one hugging her. "Aren't they normally purple?"

"It's the chlorophyll," sniffed Rosaline, rubbing her green bloodshot eyes. It was noticeable that they now had a slight green tinge, and the veins were bright green. "Anyway, I hope the method of transport we have for you will be a nice surprise. It's not easy to come by these creatures that are such a high standard!"

"Huh?" asked Lee.

"Guys…" said Rosaline with a genuine smile. She stopped before a closed stall, with an odd squawking noise coming from it. She pushed it open, and the others gasped at the sight before them. "Meet your very first Chocobos."

"Kweh!

The two birds standing in the stall were perhaps the most gorgeous seen by any of the Chosen Ones. They were like giant hybrids of ostriches and chickens, with luminous, sparkling feathers the colour of a golden sun covering their entire body, save for their deep-orange beak and their black clawed feet, which very much resembled those of a chicken. Their eyes were round and a deep sky-blue, and a great plumage of sun-kissed feathers rested on their chests, with even more huge feathers situated on their rear ends. The fluffy feathers moved up and down as the birds walked about their rather large stable, but when they saw Rosaline properly, their eyes lit up.

"Kweh kweh!" both of them cried, running over to Rosaline and knocking her onto the ground. The others instantly stepped back, except for Ed (who had an incredibly excited expression on his face, biting his lower lip in anticipation) and Zoe (who, for some odd reason, had an absolutely stunned expression, her mouth agape).

"Hey!" giggled Rosaline, at the two Chocobos nuzzled at her. "Layle, stop it! You too Belle!"

"GIANT CHICKENS!" screamed Ed crazily, running over and hugging the male Chocobo (Layle) very, very hard. The golden bird seemed hardly fazed however, for he just stood there, making the same "kweh" sound as Ed squeezed the living daylights out of the giant chicken-esque avian.

"OMG!" squealed Zoe, jumping up and down excitedly in a manner that was, quite frankly, creepy and unnatural for her. The others (even the Chocobos) looked at her like she was crazy; Zoe acting like a four year old was like the beginning of Armageddon (Eddy half-expected a fireball to destroy the now-unbalanced universe, courtesy of Zoe). "IT'S CHOCOBOS! SQUEEEE!" She ran over to Belle (the smaller and slender of the two birds) and began intently examining every inch of her physique, from looking at the shape and design of her beak to feeling the texture of her tail feathers.

"Um, Zoe?" asked Kevin, slowly walking towards her. "Why are you so excited?"

"It's Chocobos!" squealed Zoe, her peppy face host to a huge grin.

"It's weird…" stated Eddy. "And why are you so happy? You haven't seen overgrown pigeons before have you?" At this, Belle angrily pecked at Eddy's skull, resulting in a loud, "OW!", from the short boy.

"Don't tell me that none of you have heard of _Final Fantasy_?" asked an astounded Zoe to the others, who either shook their heads or mumbled things slightly resembling no. "Wow… I'm surrounded by people with no love for true entertaining technology."

"What are you talking about?" asked Rosaline, trying to get out from under Layle.

"Yeah, what is Final…whatever?" asked Eddy.

"Nothing," said Zoe, as a shock realisation came into her head, which instantly silenced her. Once the others backs had been turned, a grimace instantly appeared on her face. _Oh dear… _she thought anxiously, biting her bottom lip in worry. _I…I know it seems impossible, but so does everything in this world. Could we really… No, I can't say it… _Zoe shook her head, and angrily muttered, "I should have brought my Wii Zapper!"

ooo

AN: I'm sure you know what Zoe's theory is. But don't say in your reviews! P.M. me if you want to say, and I'll say whether it's correct or not! And for those wondering why the Chocobos are here (squee!) then you'll see in the next chapter. For now, I'm postponing the riding sequence in order to reveal more of the next part of this chapter. I hope you find it…interesting…

ooo

"Ahh…" sighed Jimmy contentedly, as he walked, half-asleep, through the opulent hallways of Castle Areth. He was dressed in a one-piece blue-and-white striped pyjama suit, which was much more comfortable than the clothes he had to wear on Gaia. It really paid off to have friends in high places, especially if they were the ruler of an entire kingdom! The castle hadn't really been explored by the Chosen Ones when they had first arrived in Areth, but after they had returned to the city (without much recognition from the common folk (enraging several of the more attention-seeking kids)) they had spent the entire day in the Castle, deciding to explore Areth another day. So it was that at 10 o'clock that night, when the inky perpetual blackness of the sky above played host to the grand celestial body and was dotted with bright, luminous stars, Jimmy passed through rooms with stone walls (covered in golden plaster, with red wooden panels lining the lower half) and tan-wooden panels polished to a gleam, covered in thick, soft vermillion-red carpets. "This place is beautiful," said Jimmy, examining the high ceilings that had glass panels, showing the vast darkness above. The only light in the chamber came from a series of chandeliers, with golden frames and silver wax candles. "I can't believe that the Royal Family could afford so much decorations!" Jimmy sipped on the hot milk he held in his right hand, and broke off a piece of the banana muffin in his left, popping it into his mouth. He noticed how he was almost back at the room he was sleeping in, on the third floor, when he stopped walking suddenly. An odd rumbling sound was coming from the floor underneath him, but it sounded like it was coming from the labyrinth-like basement underneath the castle. It began to grow louder and louder, as if a huge, hulking behemoth was stalking the must passages, its footsteps resonating throughout the whole structure of the castle. Jimmy began to grow fearful, and that was when he noticed something unusual.

"Where is it…" he heard a voice mutter, and Jimmy looked to his right. A sudden gust of wind-from who knows where-swept through the corridor, putting out the candles and plunging the room into darkness. Jimmy stopped walking, the clay mug in his hand trembling slightly; along with the rest of his body. The easily-scared boy glanced nervously at the darkness around him. The only lights now where the stars in the sky above, casting their silvery rays across that great expanse of air, while the moon shone her light directly over the castle, causing strange, constantly changing shadows to move across the room, their shadowy tendrils reaching out to embrace Jimmy. By now, his eyes had accustomed to the darkness, and he could see an alright amount of the room; yet most of it was still hidden in darkness. He slowly inched forwards, when he noticed an odd orange candlelight glow coming from around the corner. By now he was at the end of the hallway, and Jimmy's fear was cast out by cat-like curiosity as he wondered who on earth was about the castle at this time of night (besides him).

"Hello?" asked Jimmy as he walked around the corridor. He saw a cloaked person standing there, holding a candle in their left hand. The person, whose face was hidden from view, had a slender body, yet the silk black cloak obscured most of it. The person gasped when they saw Jimmy, and the frail youngster caught a glimpse of two azure-blue eyes before the person ran off down the opposite direction.

"Please wait!" asked Jimmy in a whisper, so as not to rouse the rest of the castle's inhabitants. The person sped off, and Jimmy gave chase, their footsteps muffled by the carpets they treaded on. They came to a marble staircase, and the person hurriedly ran up it, their heavy breathing heard by Jimmy (who wasn't far behind). Jimmy himself was nearly exhausted, but he couldn't stop-suppose this was an intruder in the castle, maybe even Faith herself? Jimmy compulsively shivered at this; though he had only met Faith twice, she scared him more than anything else. More than dirt, more than bugs, more than getting beaten up… The fact that she was able to inspire such fear in anyone was scary enough!

By now, the person was running down a hallway that was lined by doors on both sides; Jimmy saw that it was the room were the others bedchambers were. As the person he was chasing fled from their pursuer, Jimmy stopped by Sarah and Elle's door, tapping smartly yet quickly on the firm wooden surface. He then tapped on Lindsay's door, which was right next to the girls' room. Almost instantly Lindsay opened it, dressed in her normal clothes and wielding her two knives. "What is it?" she asked gravely, getting into a fighting stance."...You sleep in your everyday clothes?" asked Jimmy, looking slightly disgusted."Yes, so?" inquired Lindsay. "Of course, I want to fight monsters buck naked.""Why are you talking about naked people?" asked Sarah, emerging from her room in a drowsy manner. She was wearing a red vest, with a flower on it, and white pyjama shorts. She had slipped on a pair of furry red slippers as well, and her hair was down normally instead of in a ponytail. Elle emerged behind her friend, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. She was wearing a sleeveless blue nightgown that reached her knees, with matching slippers. She also had her hair down (instead of in a bun), showing what it was really like. It was very wavy, like Jennifer's and it fell to the base of her neck, showing its shortness. Also, she had a wavy fringe over the left side of her face.

"Why've you woken us up Jimmy?" asked Elle sleepily, yawning as she did so.

"Because there's someone in the castle!" said Jimmy fearfully. The three girls just looked at him.

"You don't say," said Elle. "This is the centre of power for one of this world's most powerful kingdoms, so of course there's going to be people in it. Right, Sarah?"

"Yep!" replied the girl in her normal manner, now that she had shaken off her drowsiness.

"But you don't understand! The person didn't look-" began Jimmy pleadingly, when Lindsay silenced him.

"Get back to bed, Fluffy," said Lindsay affectionately, already turning to return to her room.

"But whoever it was looked really mysterious! And when I said hello, they just gasped and ran!"

"Hmm…" said Elle, tapping her chin with the pointer and middle finger on her right hand. "That does sound a little odd…"

"Maybe we should check it out," agreed Sarah. "So where did the person go, Jimmy?"

"That way." The group of four prepared to go down the hallway (opposite the direction Jimmy had came from) when Lindsay disappeared into her room and returned a few seconds later, holding four torches.

"Where'd you get those?" asked Sarah.

"I brought them with me before I came here. Did I tell you of how I got here, by the way?"

"No, you didn't," said Elle. As Lindsay began to explain how she had found her way to Gaia, each friend took a torch and switched it on, sending beams of light slicing through the darkness, illuminating their surroundings. Soon they came to another marble staircase, and they all fell silent.

"Do you think we should go down there?" asked Lindsay.

"Well," said Jimmy, "the person seemed as if they were looking for something. And I assume you all heard that strange groaning sound earlier?"

"What sound?" asked Elle.

"You mean you didn't hear it? I heard it after I got my milk from the castle kitchens. It seemed to be coming from underground, like the basement of the castle, and it sounded like huge footsteps."

"Even more mysterious…" muttered Lindsay. "There's no choice; we need to go into the basement."

"Do we have to?" asked Jimmy fearfully.

"Yeah, we have to," said Lindsay, and with that the foursome ventured down the staircase five floors. Into the very depths of the castle itself.

ooo

AN: Elle's hair (while down) is like Kylie Minogue's in the video for "Spinning Around". Check it out if you want to see what it looks like.

ooo

"Sarah!" whined Jimmy. "This place is scary, and I don't like it!"

"Me neither Jimmy," replied the redhead quietly. "This place gives me the creeps."

"What's so bad about it?" asked Elle, casting her torch over the passageway they were walking through. "Once you get over the stench of fear, this place is delightfully macabre."

The stone tunnel they were walking down was a dark, dank place, with a sense of fear and loneliness pervading throughout it. The gray, cold floors and walls lay hidden beneath blankets of black, and the air was unmoving and stagnant; no wind had blown through that tunnel for a very long time indeed.

"Oh my God, what the hell is that stench?" asked Lindsay, covering her nose to try and block out the rancid smell.

"I don't know," said Jimmy squeamishly, his voice nasal-like due to pinching his nose.

"It's death…" said Elle spookily, placing the torch underneath her chin so that her face looked very eerie; a combination of darkness and light.

"Stop it!" said Jimmy, cowering from Elle. She giggled at him, and moved the direction of the torch to a door at the end of the chamber.

"Where does that lead to?" asked Sarah.

"A part of the castle only just recently re-discovered," spoke a female-sounding voice from behind the group, causing each of them to inwardly jump (and scream in Jimmy's taste) and turn around, only to be faced with the cloaked figure Jimmy had been chasing.

"You!" spoke Jimmy, accusingly pointing a figure at the person (now revealed to be a girl). "Who are you? Are you an agent of Faith? Are you Faith herself?"

"Calm down," said the girl gently, pulling the hood of her cloak off her head, letting long, golden-blonde hair tumble down, perfectly framing the ivory-white skin, azure-blue irises, and the slender cherry-pink lips upon her face. The others were startled; the girl looked so much like Zoe it was uncanny!

"Zoe?" asked Jimmy. "What are you doing here?"

"Zoe" shook her head, taking off her cloak as she did so. The gown she wore underneath was without sleeves of any sort, showing off her slender, delicate arms and fingers. The dress was made from pink silk, with a white satin trim on the top and bottom. At the base was a ring of vibrant-pink material accompanied with a white ring around the waist. The shoes were basic white pumps, and the way the girl stood and looked gave her a very regal-looking posture. "I'm not your friend," she smiled, "but I may indeed resemble her."

"Then who are you?" asked Sarah, sounding curious as to what the identity of this mysterious girl was.

"I'm Princess Vivian Areth, the daughter of King Edward. I don't believe we've met before this…unorthodox occasion."

"Wow!" exclaimed a genuinely surprised Jimmy. "Are you really the princess?"

"Yes, I am," replied the graceful blonde.

"Then if you don't mind my asking, why are you down here?" asked Lindsay warily.

"I've been trying to solve a mystery that has plagued the castle since before your arrival," stated Vivian gravely, holding up something to the Chosen Ones. They gathered round, to see Vivian holding a circular amulet in the palm of her right hand. It had a sort of moon design, with a gleaming silver surface and golden studs on it.

"What is that?" asked Sarah, nearly breathless at the amulet's beauty.

"I named it the Lunar Charm, and I think it may have some connection with my family," explained Vivian. "Though I regret to say I don't know why…"

"So, why is this amulet so mysterious?" asked Lindsay.

"Well," began Vivian cryptically, "it all began a few weeks before the other Chosen Ones-and yourselves, of course-arrived here in Gaia. As part of a monarchical program to encourage the citizens to study up more on Areth's vast history, Father commissioned for a group of archaeologists to explore the catacombs beneath the castle."

"So it was like an expedition?" asked Lindsay.

"Basically, yes. I myself decided to come down and help; not so much with the digging, but with chronicling the finds of the excavators. One day, after we managed to re-dig a good part of the basements beneath the castle, we found something quite unusual."

"What do you mean by re-dig?" questioned Elle, interested as to what the cryptic princess meant.

"Several centuries ago, the castle basements included the area around us today. They were filled in though, for tragic reasons, during the reign of King Boris "The Just"."

"Who was he?" continued Sarah, speaking for the group.

"An ancestor of mine, who ruled Areth four hundred years ago. He was said to be a very just king, and he all but stamped out crime in the kingdom. But he didn't have control over his own daughter; Princess Amona."

"That's a lovely name," mused Jimmy.

"It means "fair-haired one" in Ancient Gaian," continued Vivian, "and she is depicted in drawings as having fair hair. She disappeared, however, apparently while exploring these very chambers, and was never found again. No wonder they were shut up…" The princess sounded remorseful as she said the last part.

"That's so sad!" cried Elle, her voice echoing eerily down the hallways.

"Yes, but in a way it was lucky. Because they were shut up, intact, everything in these hallways is exactly as it was four hundred years ago!" By the way her voice sounded, the foursome deduced that the princess was a history enthusiast like Edd or Zoe. "Anyways, back onto the subject of what we found. As I showed you, what we found was the amulet."

"And the deal about that is?" said Sarah.

"A while after the amulet was found, there were odd noises heard throughout the entire castle, coming from the Old Basement. They always sounded like huge footsteps, as if something-or someone-was stalking these ancient passages, looking for something."

"That's the sound I heard!" gasped Jimmy.

"I've been hearing it as well," confirmed Vivian. "I think that whatever it is that we've been hearing and this amulet are connected somehow, so That's why I'm here. I'm going to put the amulet back where it was found, but to do that I'll need your help.""Why?" asked Sarah."Beyond this point are monsters; another addition to the population of the basement since the amulet was removed. I would try to fight them by myself, but I haven't got the physical strength to do so. So, will you give me all your assistance? Please?""Of course!" enthused Elle. "We'd be happy to help. Besides, how hard could the monsters be to beat?"ooo(15 minutes later)ooo"Don't ever let me jinx our adventures again," commented Elle dryly as she and the others burst through a wooden door, Lindsay slamming it shut behind them. A scratching sound came from the other side of it, but the five some were too bust gasping for breath to notice."What were those things?" asked Jimmy in a near-scream."Beings unique to this place," replied Vivian. "But look! We're at the amulet's chamber!" The humans from Earth looked up to see that they were now in a rectangular chamber, with decorative pictures of noble folk and fairies etc. etched onto the wall; though they were hundred of years old, they had been spared from time's wrath. At the other end was an altar of sorts, with a pedestal the exact shape of the amulet's outline on the tip. "That's where the amulet was!""Really?" asked Elle incredulously. "An altar like that, and you remove the amulet from it? No wonder this place is filled with monsters!""It's not my fault!" argued Vivian. "I advised the archaeologists to leave it, but they took it anyway. That's why I've been trying to set things straight!""There's no point arguing about it now!" reasoned Lindsay. "All that matters is that Vivian is doing the right thing, and we're helping her!" finished the Gunner brightly. They began to walk towards the altar when an odd rumbling sound resonated throughout the chamber."W-what's t-that?" whispered Jimmy. "S-Sarah..."Before the Ninja girl could reply, a crack sounded in the room. Indeed, one had appeared in the floor before the altar, and was slowly opening up to reveal a crevasse not very wide, but very deep.

"Oh sugar…" cursed Elle, as a black, scaly hand latched onto the edge of the chasm from the hole it came from. Jimmy whimpered and clutched Sarah's hand, and she held it firmly (though she was frightened as well). Another hand appeared, and then an arm, and then a shoulder…and finally a face. The being's scales weren't of the normal kind; they were material darkness condensed into a silhouette to form the being before Lindsay, Jimmy, Sarah, Elle and Vivian. It was toll and lanky, with oversized arms and legs too short for it's body. Its face had nothing on it, except a pair of glowing green eyes with no pupils, irises or whites in site.

"Who are you?" asked Vivian. The being lurched towards her, darkness trailing after it.

"Leave…" it whispered hoarsely. "Please…escape the darkness in this place…"

"Are you alright?" asked Vivian, compassion in her face. She walked towards it, and held its face in her hand. It felt cold; not an evil, malicious cold, but a cold that came only after death.

"Dear Amona…" murmured the being in such a tiny voice that only Vivian heard it. Suffice to say, it shocked her. "If only you could see her now…"

"What do you mean?" asked Vivian in the same quiet voice. "I'm sorry, but I'm not Amona. My name is Vivian."

The being was silent for a while. "You…you are not Amona?"

"No. I'm sorry."

"It is quite alright," sighed the being dejectedly, its voice saying otherwise. "Forgive me for calling you her; but the resemblance between you and her is uncanny…"

"I'm an ancestor of hers. Maybe that helps?" suggested Vivian.

"Ancestor?" said the being quietly. "But that means…" It looked up at Vivian, green eyes striking blue. "Tell me, my child, when did Princess Amona live?"

"Around four hundred years ago."

"…It is as I suspected then," said the being mournfully. "Oh, the poor dears…"

"Are you a ghost?" blurted out Vivian.

"In a way, yes. But for so long have I been anchored to this world, that time means nothing to me; a poor soul lost in the embrace of the darkness that plagues this chamber. I only recently awoken due to a disturbance in my resting chamber."

"The expedition team…" breathed Vivian. She rooted about in her pocket, taking out the amulet and handing it to the being. "I believe this belongs to you."

"Oh no!" gasped the being. A rumbling sound echoed through the basement.

"It's back!" warned Lindsay, getting her **Magnum **ready.

"Thank you, my dear," said the being, taking the amulet and placing it on the altar, "for returning this. Now, I believe I can finally move on." A blue aura began to shine around the shadow being, as it slowly rose in the air. "But before I move on, I shall send you back to the upper floors, and out of harms way."

"Thank you!" called Vivian. "Please though; do you know anything about Amona and what happened to her?"

"All I can say is to search for the book," replied the being mysteriously. "You shall know the one, and you will learn more from its dusty pages." The light grew brighter ( and the noises grew louder).

"What do you mean?" asked Vivian desperately, causing the others to look at her; they hadn't heard the beginning and middle of the conversation between the Princess of Areth and the Shadow Soul.

"Go now!" warned the being, and it thrust out its hand. A bang was heard, and whiteness- pure, unblemished whiteness, the first snowfall of winter- flooded the chamber. A roar was heard as the five humans slowly faded through matter back up to the floors above. Yet Vivian heard more.

_Please… Save his soul… And mine…_

Whiteness.

ooo

"Oooh…" groaned Sarah. "My head…"

"Where are we?" moaned Elle quietly, rubbing her blinking eyes.

"Back where Jimmy got us," answered Lindsay ( of course, she _had _to be the first one ready ).

"So…" asked the said boy. "Did all that really happen?"

"Yes," said Vivian. "It did." She got up from the floor, and began to walk away. "Thank you all very much for your help; however, I don't think this is the end of the mystery of what happened to Amona."

"What do we do now?" asked Jimmy.

"You four must continue on your quest, while I stay here to find out more about the book that that spirit told me about."

"Do you know what he meant?" questioned the Archer.

"…No. But I'm sure I can find it. Now, you must all be tired. Thank you greatly for your help, and have a safe journey." The enigmatic princess smiled at them, before walking down the dark corridor without another word.

ooo

AN: Phew! The next chapter done; sorry it took so long, but now I'm going to try and finish this story as soon as possible.

Lilienne: It hath taken thou too long already.

Me: Oh, be quiet!

Lilienne: No.

Me: Yes!

Lilienne: *Eyes glowing darkly* No.

Me: …Ok…

Lilienne: Now, if thou should excuse thy, thy doth wish to introduce the next segment of our current special feature for this tale: "Fun Cul-de-sac Facts". This chapter, we shall focus our attention upon Michael, "The Sporty Nerd". Previously unknown facts about the boy include:

1. His favourite colours are gold and crimson.

2. That when it cometh to ancient mythology (particularly ancient Greek) Michael knows a great deal on the subject?

3. Michael, along with Kevin, is on the soccer and baseball teams. He is also on track and swimming.

4. Michael hates snooty people who think they're better than everyone else.

5. Michael's secret fear is that he hates confined spaces (Claustrophobia) as he was once trapped in an elevator for five hours at the age of seven.

6. Michael's favourite school subjects are P.E. (Gym), English and History?

7. Michael's favourite food is sauerkraut ( as his grandma made the best ever in his opinion ).

8. Michael loves running, swimming, writing and playing the bass.

9. Unlike two of his good friends ( Edd and Zoe ), Michael is very lazy and relaxed.

10. Michael is the youngest of five siblings.

Lilienne: After the amusing facts about Michael, next chapter shall see us digress into the fact file of Elle, "The Juvenile Medium". Keep indeed an eye out for updates in the next days.

Me: Remember to vote in the poll on my page! After you've reviewed!

Lilienne: *Eyes and face dark* Make sure thou doth chose the right answer.

Me: Relax; she's a character in an internet novel. She can't hurt you, so answer honestly now! Thanks!

-LucasBravvus97


	16. Chapter 16: Fire and Fear

AN: So as of now, I have no idea what the results are for the poll; where Lilienne's fate will be decided…

Lilienne: *Looking very nervous* Thy is not worried. *Bites fingernails*

Me: *Looks smug* Yes you are.

Lilienne: Thy is not! *Practically screams* Ahem. Anyways, on with the story, if thou doth pleaseth.

Chapter Sixteen: Fire and Fear

ooo

"Do we have to leave now?" whined Eddy, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. Before-dawn Areth was a cool, airy place, with the wind brisk and cold and the sky tinged with streaks of golden sunlight as the city slowly but surely began to stir from its slumber through the inky-black night. Even though dawn was still to break, the Chosen Ones ( courtesy of Zoe and Edd ) had already risen to continue on their journey to find the Elemental Crystals. Right now, they were gathered in the silent gardens in front of the castle; plants, ranging from vibrant meteor-red to luscious crystal-blue, from spider-web-white to coral-pink, surrounded them on all sides, while the humans themselves were standing on paths of neatly arranged concrete slabs, a smooth, polished gray. A fountain lay directly in front of them, and the water, clear as the sky above, slowly trickled over the edges of each marble basin, before cascading towards the pool below. Yes, Areth wasn't the only place awakening; that entire half of the world was, but Areth was just the first.

"Yes!" replied Edd and Zoe simultaneously. The twins were the only ones who were fully awake ( though Rebecca came a close second ) and had taken it upon themselves to organise the group.

"Why?" asked Jennifer, irritated and miserable. Since she had woken up an hour before ( at 6 o'clock ) it just hadn't been her day; bad hair, bags under the eyes… Jennifer was not in a good mood. And when she was in a bad mood, everybody was affected by it ( for the worse ) . "It's _so _obvious that Faith is going to get all the others Crystals in one day, right?" Her voice was oozing sarcasm as she spoke.

"It's not that," pressed Edd, his voice calm and composed; yet Zoe could see that Jennifer's sarcastic remarks were not well received by the hat-wearing boy. Call it twin telepathy, or heightened extrasensory emotions for her brother; she just knew. "We can't waste time by just staying in Areth; we have to go out and find the Crystals."

"By leaving at 7 o'clock?" asked Nazz sleepily, yawning afterwards.

"Yes," confirmed Zoe. "This way, we can get the best start possible to our next venture."

"Where are we even goin'?" asked Eddy again, trying to think up more excuses to garner another few hours in bed; sadly ( for him at least ) his attempts failed. "What if we don't have all the supplies or whatever for the trip?"

"Everything's been taken care of him," spoke Edd happily, "so you don't need to worry about a thing, Eddy!"

"Yay…" muttered Eddy bitterly, his face drooping due to the daunting process of having to trek halfway around a continent on Chocobos ( which he _really _didn't like ) in order to find some stupid Elemental Crystal of Fire that held power so immense that it could destroy or create a universe… So when he thought about it, Eddy realised that it wasn't at all stupid; but he was too proud to admit that he was wrong, and besides, whenever an opportunity to complain about absolutely anything arose, Eddy grabbed the bull by the horns.

"Little Eddy's got a point though," said Lee. "You guys didn't say where we're goin'."

"We talked about it to King Edward," replied Zoe, "in private."

"Why?" joked Kevin. "Do you two not think we're responsible enough to remember where we have to go?"

Zoe and her twin brother exchanged glances before looking back at the others. "To be completely honest, no, we don't," admitted the hat-wearing Knight.

"Glad you have so much faith in us!" replied Michael, miffed somewhat about the ( truthful ) remark.

"It's not that," reasoned Edd, "but Zoe and I both agreed that we're the maturest-"

"And nerdiest!" called out Eddy, causing a few of the others to snigger in silent mirth. Edd, angered at being interrupted, shot daggers with his eyes in Eddy's general direction.

"Ahem…" coughed Edd, in order to regain everybody's attention. "As I was saying, Zoe and I have decided to take responsibility for certain factors in the group."

"Yes," said Zoe happily, "I'm in charge of getting supplies, and Eddward is the Treasurer."

"Treasurer?" asked Eddy boringly. "What the heck's that?"

"I thought someone like you would know, Eddy," said Zoe, albeit a bit confused.

"Well I don't, so what the heck is it?"

"A banker, if you will. Someone who looks after money for-"

After the word money passed his ears, Eddy's mind instantly went blank. Thoughts of riches and jawbreakers galore crossed through his mind, and he began to smile deviously.

"Why don't I be the Treasurer?" he asked Zoe slyly. "I can be responsible with money."

Zoe just looked at him blankly. "The day that I trust you with even I cent, Eddy," she said flatly, "will be the day that cows grow bat wings and become vampires and the Lord comes down to judge humanity."

"Why do Catholics have to be so-" began Eddy grumpily, before a warning glance from Zoe cast at him told him to shut up. "Anyways," he continued, ignoring her completely, "where did you get the money?"

"From battles."

"What battles?" asked Kevin.

Zoe and Edd sighed. _This is why we're the most responsible people in this group; we pay attention_! "Well," said Edd, "maybe you haven't yet noticed that after we defeat them in battle, monsters drop money; called Gil in this world."

"So how much do we have?" asked Eddy excitedly.

"Five thousand."

Eddy looked shocked for a microsecond before lunging towards Edd, toppling the boy over ( who let out a cry ) and pinning him to the ground.

"Where is it?" he demanded in a manic, desperate voice, filled with avarice for the money.

"Eddy, please desist!" pleaded Edd, trying to hold onto his hat which Eddy, in turn, was trying to pull off. Only with Rolf and Ed's intervening did Eddy finally let go, though there was still a crazed look in his eyes for the wealth.

"Now that that's over," said Zoe brightly, as if attempting to dispel any dark thoughts of material greed conjured up by Eddy's selfish display of one of the Seven Sins, "let's go and get Belle and Layle, shall we?"

ooo

AN: Yes, Zoe, Edd and Rebecca are the first to have confirmed religions in this chapter ( in case you didn't notice ) . They're Catholics, like myself, and if you have a problem with that then I really don't care; it's my story, and since there was no confirming of religion for any of the characters in the series ( except perhaps Rolf ) Mr. Antonucci has given us free reign.

Lilienne: *Still looking anxious* There may be several people who do not take lightly to your choice of faith.

Me: Then they're ignorant.

ooo

The field was a few miles away from Areth; lush grass, as green as emeralds glowing in solar light, stretched across the loamy earth as far as the eye saw, with only remote buildings or trees occasionally breaking the stunning view. The sky and land were now fully awake; wild flowers, like deep-purple heather, sugar-pink foxglove, diamond-blue cornflower etc, bloomed across the open plains, while the cloudless sky stretched its blue expanse over the earth. The plains weren't empty, though; animal life was positively buzzing. Grey rabbits rooted around the ground for food for their young, while sparrows soared through the sky on the search for sustenance. There was even a heard of Chocobos running across the plains, their bodies bristling with excitement and energy.

"Kweh!"

From out of nowhere emerged two Chocobos, one male and female, strapped to a sort of caravan. Leather straps and harnesses were on both of the giant yellow bird, whilst the caravan itself was oddly constructed. Made from elfwood, the lightest known wood on Gaia, it was long and sleek, and was built for speed and comfort. The wood was light-brown in colour, while the skirting was an even lighter brown, the colour of cappuccino. There was also another smaller carriage behind the main one, about a quarter of its length ( though designed in the same way ) .Inside it was most different from the outside of the carriage: it was designed as though it were a carriage in a train. Six wooden benches, padded with soft forest-green cushions, lined each side, while sunlight poured in through the open windows, illuminating the inside of the carriage.

This was where the Chosen Ones were, either sitting calmly or fooling about whilst they traversed across the Arethan Plains. Sarah, Elle and Jimmy were together, staring out the window and making awed comments about the various flora and fauna that virtually dominated the plains, while Jimmy tried to catch the two girls in a sketch on his sketchpad. Kevin, Michael, Nazz, Jennifer and Rolf were at the front of the carriage, the two girls gossiping about hair and make-up and whatever it was they talked about, whilst they three boys were mainly engaged in a conversation about sports; really though they were trying to teach Rolf about the sports, who had an almost stubborn insistence on getting the customs wrong or mixed up.

"Isn't this quaint?" enthused Zoe, while she sat with her brother and cousin, along with her other two best friends. "We're all sitting in here, relaxed, while the Gaian countryside passes us by. It's like a scenic train ride! We're on the Chocobo Orient Express. Except without the murderers…" finished Zoe.

"Speaking of murderers, where are the Kankers?" asked Eddy, his eyes darting about from corner to corner of the carriage, though not seeing any of the dastardly female siblings.

"They're in the smaller carriage," said Edd sombrely. "They've made it their den already, like the boiler room back at school." Eddy gagged as Edd said this, and Ed shuddered.

"Kankers bad for Ed!" he practically shouted, causing everyone present in the carriage to look at him.

"Ed!" screeched Sarah. "Shut up!"

"Lay off, Fish Face!" insulted Eddy, causing Sarah to grit her teeth and grow red in the face before violently stomping towards Eddy.

"Sarah!" said Jimmy. "I'm not finished!"

"Don't worry Jimmy," said Sarah sweetly, before her face grew darker again. "I'll only take a minute to beat the snot out of Eddy."

"Sarah!" pleaded Ed. "Please do not beat my friends and I, for we are sorry Eddy hurt your feelings!"

"Get out of the way Ed!" barked Sarah viciously, like a dog. Ed cowered slightly, before walking over to his other friends.

"Well," retorted Eddy, "if the others are here then you can't beat me up, can you, Loudmouth?" Sarah's face began to grow red, and she growled menacingly before advancing further.

"Sarah actually _can _hurt you, Eddy," said Edd, walking away from the group, followed by Zoe and Rebecca (who was dragging a idiotically laughing Ed across the floor) leaving Eddy by himself.

"Um, guys?" asked Eddy feebly, as the others deserted him, leaving him to face Sarah's un-waning wrath all by himself. "Help!"

"Come here, Pipsqueak!" cried Sarah venomously, before lunging for Eddy. The carriage rocked from side to side as one of the most cowardly Chosen Ones fought with one of the most violent, strong and ill-tempered ones.

"Please!" cried Eddy desperately, as he was chased throughout the carriage. "Stop it Sarah!"

"Yeah Sarah," called Kevin, "let the d- I mean, Eddy, go."

"…Ok," said Sarah sounding very miffed. She stomped back over to her seat and sat back down with a huff, drawing an exasperated sigh from Jimmy. He tried to sketch her, but she kept fidgeting due to her anger.

"Anyways," said Edd, now that the five some were sitting back together, "isn't anyone wondering just exactly how far this journey will go?"

"Whaddya mean?" asked an irritated Eddy. He was angry not just because he had almost been hurt, but his immensely large ego was bruised (yet again).

"Well, we have to get the twelve Elemental Crystals, yes?"

"Yeah," said Ed, "that's what the hocus-pocus-focus said!"

"…Indeed," said Edd, a little (unusually) confused. "As I was saying, what happens after we get the Crystals?"

"Well…" began Rebecca, before stopping, a look of pondering on her face. "I hadn't really thought of that."

"Me neither," admitted Zoe. "Usually I plan ahead, but I've been so caught up in this adventure of ours… I guess it just slipped my mind."

"Not mine!" said Eddy a little too smugly, earning him a whack on the skull from Rebecca, causing an "Ow!" to emit from the short Thief's mouth. After recovering a bit, he continued speaking. "I'm gonna stay on Areth!"

"First of all, it's _in _Areth, or _on _Gaia," corrected Zoe automatically. "And secondly: what?"

"Yeah, what?" echoed Rebecca, looking at Eddy like he was crazy.

"I'm gonna stay here **in **(he looked at Zoe spitefully) Areth!" repeated Eddy, growing more excited by the ticking of the clock.

"Why?" asked an astounded Edd. "What possible reason could you have for staying here rather than back at your real home, Peach Creek: were your friends and family are?"

"But Double D!" whined Eddy like a newborn. "This place is the business! No schools to pretend to care about, no parents to boss me about, and plus I'm treated like a king cause I'm a Chosen dude!"

"What about monsters?" asked Edd.

"Or Faith," added Zoe.

"…" Eddy was silent for a moment, before speaking up again. "I guess you're right… But I'm speakin' the truth! What's gonna happen to us after this is all over?"

"We're going home," stated Zoe, flatly and firmly.

"Just like that?" asked Eddy hotly, his face already growing red with anger. "After everything that we will have done for this world, we're just gonna pack up and leave?"

"Now, now Eddy," chimed Ed innocently, "what Zoe says goes!"

"Not in my world, ya big lummox!" replied Eddy. Then she shot a death glare at Zoe, who replied with an even more icier looked of her own.

"Eddy, I won't ask again!" she threatened, though her voice was still low and calm. "Push those silly thoughts out of your head!"

"Fine!" shouted back the short one, before angrily stalking over to an uninhabited corner in the carriage to ponder his thoughts alone. "I can stop hopin', but I can still dream, right?" he muttered to himself. In truth, he never really wanted to permanently stay in Areth; it was all part of a ploy to make him look cooler. But it had failed; and miserably at that.

"Wow," commented Rebecca, staring at the back of Eddy's retreating form, "and I thought I was temperamental!"

"Eddy has a boo-boo!" sniffed Ed, before slowly walking over to his friend. Edd, however, stopped him.

"Ed, since Eddy wants some time to himself, what say you and I look at the scenery, hmm?"

"Ok…" said Ed sombrely, before leaning out of one of the windows, his tongue hanging like a dog's out of its mouth while the Chocovan sped over the open plains. Soon he forgot his worries, and the least intelligent Ed had not a single care in the whole word; his responsibility as being a Chosen one lifted from him.

For a while, at least.

"Hey guys!" called Jonny, running through a screen door at the front of the carriage. "Lindsay just wanted to see the map again; so she can check if we're on the right track!"

"Certainly Jonny!" replied Edd warmly, smiling as he did so. He took a map out of his pocket, and carefully unfolded it. It was a map of the surrounding countryside; exactly down the middle ran the River Areth, with a large lake at the top. The city of Areth itself, and the castle, were on the right side of the river, with several other towns scattered throughout the plains that stretched across that part of the kingdom. On the north of the map was a range of mountains, and one (very far inside the range) was circled.

"That's our destination," confirmed Edd. "Mt. Furyance."

"What an appealing name…" mused Rebecca.

"I like it!" blurted out Ed.

"Course ya do, Lumpy!" joked Eddy, rejoining the group. "You like anything that spits fire."

"Is it just me, or did the ground suddenly get much more…bumpy?" asked Zoe confusedly.

"No, it did!" exclaimed Edd suddenly, looking out of a window. All of the others looked out too, and saw just what he was talking about. The surrounding countryside was slowly losing its greenness, giving way to ground that was barer and covered with rocks. The flat land was also slowly rising as well, until they were riding through a rocky, mountainous valley.

"Wow…" breathed Sarah slowly. "This place is amazing!"

"I know!" gushed Nazz. "One minute it's like this really lush, vibrant forest, with huge trees and even a lake, and the next minute we're here in valley filled with stones!"

"It shows how diverse this world is," said Edd wistfully. "If you think about it, Gaia is much like our own planet; if, of course, you leave out the other races. And the monsters, demons, and don't forget the Crystals…"

"It's paradoxical…" mused Zoe. "So alike and yet so different."

"What does paradoxical mean?" asked Kevin.

"A paradox is when something exists when it can't; for instance, if you went back in time and killed the entire human race, then if we still existed today; it would be a paradox. I know that's morbid, but it's a good example."

"The fact that Gaia and earth are so alike is curious. They even have the same name!" said Edd with knowledgeable relish.

"No they don't!" said Jimmy.

""Gaia" is Ancient Greek for "Earth"," said Zoe. "It pays to know a lot of this stuff, you know."

"Not really, nerd," taunted Eddy. "Greek or Latin or whatever it is you study is, like, useless today."

"Not really," disagreed Zoe. "Latin is used in the Periodic Table, names for species, rituals in the Church…the list goes on and on. The Romance Languages are based on Latin you know."

"Romance?" asked Eddy. "So like s-"

"Shut up!" cried Rebecca, placing her hand over Eddy's mouth to quieten him. "There are nine year olds here!"

Sarah, Elle and Jimmy looked over at them before turning back to their sketch. "How silly are they?" asked Edd jokingly, though in a slight murmur. "Thinking that as we're nine, we don't know about sex."

"You have Katy Perry to thank for that," said Sarah wisely.

Meanwhile, with the others, Zoe was continuing to babble on about Latin, Greek and Gaian, boring most of the kids (except Edd, who was as interested in those languages as her, and Rebecca, who only listened to her as she was her cousin). "You know, I was looking at some texts in ancient Gaian. It's incredibly similar to Greek, so I could actually translate-"

"Please, just shut the Hell up!" screamed Eddy, bored out of his mind and already unable to take in any more for fear of his brain being completely saturated by boring, geeky things that only Zoe and Sock Head would be interested in.

"That's it!" screamed Sarah as well, lunging like a tiger over to Eddy. She began to pummel each fist into him over and over again, only this time no one stopped her. After she was finished with the beating, Eddy resembled an unleavened loaf of bread.

"Shame…" said Rebecca, although she didn't really mean it. You could tell by the sarcastic tone in her voice. Suddenly, the carriage slowly ground to a halt. The group were curious as to what had happened, and even the Kankers emerged from their private cabin.

"What's up?" grumbled Marie, rubbing her sleepy eyes. It was obvious she was catching up on sleep.

"I don't know," replied Nazz, the closest to her. "But I do know we've stopped." The sarcastic tone in her voice was a sign of her obvious dislike of Marie.

"Hey, guys?" asked Lindsay suddenly, waking through the door that Jonny had walked through earlier. Her face looked odd; slightly pale, as if she'd seen something disturbing. "There's a…problem."

"What kind of problem?" asked Ed, blinking his eyes.

"Come and see for yourself."

She opened a door at the side of the carriage, the only means for the passengers to get outside. At once, black, sooty smoke began to fill the cabin, causing all of the kids to cough.

"Good Lord!" said Edd, trying to speak through the smoke. "What on Earth is that?"

"I don't know!" Lindsay managed to croak, hacking up her lungs.

"Whatever it is -cough-," began Kevin, "we just have to -cough- ignore it!"

"Wait," said Edd. He opened his mouth slightly, and some of the black smoke filled it up. The hat-wearing Ed boy, however, seemed unaffected by the smoke. "I think I know what it is… It seems to be a sort of smog, composed of ash and soot in the air."

"But why aren't -cough- you choking on it, Double D?" asked May.

"Maybe since Fire is my Element, I'm not affected by it. Like how Zoe is able to breathe underwater, and get wet only when she chooses to do so," explained Edd, though he was almost drowned out by the continuous hacking coughs of the others.

"We need to get this smog away!" said Sarah. "We're going to die if we don't!"

"Jimmy!" asked Edd. "Can you try to blow the smog away?"

"I'll try, Double D!" replied Jimmy through the blinding smoke, though his voice didn't sound very confident. There was silence for a few seconds, except for an odd, steady rumbling noise in the distance.

"**Airaspell**!"

A sudden gust of air, pure and clean, began to rapidly circulate around the carriage, taking the polluted oxygen and replacing it with fresh gas. Soon it had been completely cleared of the poisonous smog, but the open door of the carriage still showed a world of blackness outside.

"I don't like this," said Jennifer warily. "The fumes will make my make-up run, and that'll dry my skin out, and-"

"Is that all ya can think about?" asked Marie incredulously. "At a time like this, you're worried about your stupid make-up?"

"Excuse me for taking care in my appearance!" retorted Jennifer vehemently. "At least I'm not a bear like you!"

"A bear?" asked Marie, glaring right at Jennifer. "Come and say that to my face!"

"You really think that's smart?" whispered Jennifer antagonistically, slowly moving towards Marie.

"Bring it on, sister!" barked Marie, moving towards Jennifer. The two girls then proceeded to engage in a catfight.

"We should go," said Zoe, and she, Edd and Ed wandered outside the van, into the smothering smog, while the others either watched the two girls fighting or tried to break them up (though most of those gathered did the former).

ooo

"It's even more worse out here!" commented Zoe, covering her eyes from the fog. Edd was in front of her, with Ed behind.

"It looks just like Hades!" cried Ed.

"I agree!" said Edd. "Judging by the level of volcanic ash present in the atmosphere, it would seem that a volcanic eruption has just recently taken place!"

"But how could it have?" asked Zoe. "We would have heard at least something if there was a huge eruption here in Areth, whether we were in a forest or not!"

"True, true," said Edd. Then he moved both of his hands through the air, and exclaimed in frustration, "Blast it! I can't see a thing!"

"Me neither," said Zoe. Standing in the doorway, there was a small pocket of relatively clean air for them to stand in, yet all around them (except from the behind) was a huge wall of falling ash. Everything was obscured from view, meaning that the Chosen Ones present couldn't see anything lurking in the smog.

"I don't like this," said Zoe, glancing nervously around. "If anything is here that wants to harm us, then we best be on our guard."

"Look, look!" said Ed suddenly, jumping up and down excitedly. "Fireflies!"

"Pardon?" asked Zoe."Fireflies!" repeated Ed, pointing at something in the fog."Edd, I don't understand," said Edd. "There are no fireflies...here..." Edd trailed off as he began to look at something in the fog. Zoe followed his trail of vision and with the ash, gently falling from the sky like blackened snow, were small, miniature balls of fire. They slowly fell to earth as well, and they did indeed look like fireflies."Impossible..." said Edd. "That's solid flame! How on earth can it stay afloat?""What's happening now?" asked Jimmy, looking out the door. "Wowee! Are they fireflies?""No," said Edd, "they're actually balls of solid flame.""They're not balls!" said Jimmy. "Look, they're coming together, and..." Jimmy stopped speaking as suddenly as he had looked out, and was staring, wide-eyed, at something in the fog."What on earth..." breathed Edd as the orbs of fire came together to form a bestial shape in the smoke. It was like nothing they had ever seen; a beast with the head and body of lion, skin that covered muscles glistening with sweat, and a long, winding tail that ended in the head of a snake, diamond-green and with vicious fangs. What was most horrific was the fact that a black goat's head, with horns so sharp and curled, rose from the middle of the beast's spine."Ch...c-ch..." stammered Zoe, looking horrified at the snarling beast in the smoke. Tongues of flame erupted from its open mouth as it roared at the group. "Chimera!""Quick!" said Edd, drawing his sword. "Everybody inside the caravan!" He ran inside, followed by Ed, yet Zoe still stood outside, rooted to the spot."Zoe!" cried Ed. "You must come inside before the son of Cerberus devours your marrow!"

"Actually," pointed out Edd, "the Chimera is female, as its name comes from the Greek word _khimaros_, which means "she-goat"-" He was cut off as Zoe screamed when the Chimera spat fire at her. She ducked down in the nick of time, leaving the fire to blow over her head and singe a nearby stone.

"How extraordinary!" claimed Zoe, as she sat crouched down before the Chimera. "Your breath's hot enough to burn rock!"

"Is that all you can think about?" cried Rebecca in astonishment, as he and the others watched from the window of the Chocovan.

"Zoe, you have to get inside!" called Kevin, sounding immensely scared for her safety.

"I can't!" she gasped, sounding scared again as she gazed at the Chimera's snarling jaw. "I c-can't feel my feet!"

"Look out!" screamed Michael, as the beast lunged for Zoe, its teeth aimed at her neck.

"Eek!" screamed Zoe, scrambling out of the way just before the Chimera reached the spot where she had just been. It snarled in annoyance as Zoe leapt further away, scrambling over rock and stony earth, her knees and elbows scraped and her eyes half-blinded by the fog.

"This dress is so unorthodox for travelling…" she muttered, glancing behind her. The two-headed Chimera was giving chase, but she was almost at the entrance to the caravan; and to freedom.

"Come on Zoe!" called Nazz encouragingly.

"Yeah, you can do it!" said Lindsay.

"Jump, nose-in-pan Zoe girl!" said Rolf.

Zoe gathered all her courage, and jumped through the open door just as the lion/goat/snake hybrid snapped its teeth at the air she had been standing mere moments ago. The door slammed shut, and Lindsay, who had ran back into the driver's compartment, kicked up the Chocobos again. With several squawks of "kweh!" the two giant birds began to run through the fog, which was slowly getting less intense.

"Is it chasing after us?" panted Zoe.

"No," said Eddy, looking out of a window, "'cause I can't see it."

"I can," said Elle grimly, frowning. Then her face lightened a bit. "Well, it's not following us… That's good, right?"

"Yeah," said Lee, "but after going to all that trouble to chase Zoe, why give up now?"

Before anyone could reply, the caravan gave a sudden, unexpected lurch to the left, causing most of its inhabitants to lose their balance and fall.

"What was that?" asked Eddy, rubbing his forehead from his seated position on the ground.

"Good Lord!" cried Edd, for the second time that morning. "Fellows, I think you better take a look outside!" The others did so, cramming around the windows on the left side and jostling each other for space.

"This reminds me of the train sequences in _Harry Potter_!" remarked Ed gleefully, while the others gaped at what they saw.

Before them, to a fifty foot drop on their right, was a large, boiling lake of red lava, bubbles of the volcanic liquid rising above its surface and then popping, letting out clouds of hot air. They were on a narrow, winding mountain trail, and there seemed to be a village in the distance; yet at the speed they were travelling at, it was getting closer by the second. What most surprised them, however, was the large island at the centre of the lava lake. It wasn't really an island, to be exact; more a tall, sloping volcano, with the same combination of ash and soot that polluted the whole area spewing from its top continuously. There seemed to be only one way across the lake to the foot of the mountain; a sort of natural stone walkway, with the molten lava lapping at its edges.

"Whoa!" said Eddy. "Talk about extravagance!"

"That must be at least the same size as Mount St. Helens, if not more!" said Zoe in utter awe at the active volcano in front of her.

"That must be the source of all the smoke!" said Marie, putting the pieces of the puzzle together.

"You think?" responded Nazz dryly.

"Guys!" said Jonny, bursting in through the door again. "Lindsay wants me to tell you that we're nearly at that town ahead, so get ready to leave!"

A few minutes later, the caravan began to slow, and Kevin opened the front door, emerging out of it and motioning for the others to follow. After all eighteen Chosen Ones were out of the caravan, they looked to their surroundings; the town wasn't incredibly big or small. It was just a normal settlement, with all of the houses constructed from gray stone, as well as cobbled streets. The town was situated in a pass between two relatively low mountains; not very high at all (perhaps only around one thousand feet) but enough to provide cover from the soot storm, meaning the air in that town was clean like back in Areth.

"Why hello there!" called a sudden voice. The group looked to their right to see a middle-aged woman, wearing a clean white shawl and a brown dress, walking over to them. "I'm Clarabelle, manager of the Inn in this town. Welcome to Pasadira!"

"Thank you for welcoming us, Clarabelle," greeted Edd. "My name is Eddward - with two D's - and my friends and I are in need of staying places. Do you mind if we procure the services of your Inn?"

"Of course not! I'll just run ahead and get the rooms ready. Come by whenever you like!" She began to walk away.

"Someone! Please, help!"

The masculine, buff voice originated from the smog that just bordered the towns edges. The startled group looked over, half expecting a human to emerge from it. Instead, they met with their first Magmoro.

The Magmoro are a humanoid race, though they very much resemble dragons found in various folk lore tales. This one was tall and buff, with large, heavy muscles all over its body. The skin was vermillion-red and covered in lizard-like scales, with a sharpened, pointed claw on each finger/slash toe of its hands and feet. The belly was a pale yellow colour, without any scales; although the skin still looked hard. It had a dragon -like face; a fanged snout with two large nostrils, and two huge orange eyes. It also had a pair of small red wings on the back of its body.

"Please help me!" it cried, before collapsing on the floor.

Ooo

AN: So I showed you all the Magmoro! And I have the results of the poll: Lilienne stays!

Lilienne: Nooooooo!

Me: Yes! Onto this chapter's "Fun Cul-de-sac Facts"! This chapter is "Elle, the Juvenile Medium". Did you know:

1. That Elle's favourite colour is magenta?

2. That Elle has a huge interest in the paranormal, occult and superstition?

3. Elle hardly ever plays any sports; however, she does do ballet and acrobatics.

4. Elle hates scientific people who completely dismiss the occult rather than accept and work their scientific around it?

5. Elle suffers from Hexakosioihexekontahexaphobia (fear of the number 666), Hadephobia, a fear of Hell, Paraskavedekatriaphobia, which means to fear Friday the 13th, Triskaidekaphobia, which is to fear the number thirteen, and finally Taphophobia, which refers to a fear of being buried alive.

6. Elle's favourite school subjects are History, Biology and Geography?

7. Elle absolutely adores croissants.

8. Elle loves studying metaphysics, as well as playing chess and reading on Sumerian mythology?

8. That Elle is one of those people who you can tell absolutely anything to and she won't judge you.

10. That Jennifer and Elle are completely different, and the only similarity between them is their eyes?

Lilienne: Next chapter shall be "Rolf, The Foreign Kid".

Me: Please review!

-LucasBravvus97


	17. Chapter 17: Chymera, Chymera

AN: …

Lilienne: As thou hath probably guessed, Lucas is not currently here. He is running a slight bit late for this chapter's opening, but he'll hopefully be here for the end of this instalment in "Edventure".

Chapter Seventeen: Chymera, Chymera…

ooo

"How is he?" asked Edd, as Clarabelle, keeper of "The Valley Pass Inn", walked out through the wooden door and into the hallway. She was holding a clean towel in her hands, and was wiping off some sort of liquid, which resembled water but with a slightly reddish tinge; as though it was blood diluted in water.

"He's fine!" reassured Clarabelle. "Mr Eddward, there's no need to worry! He just collapsed from exhaustion, so he should be as right as rain once he has had some rest."

"Good, good. Is Zoe still helping you to look after him?"

"Indeed, Miss Zoe is a superb help. It's a pity we don't have a Scooby what the fellow's name is, but that can't be helped right now." She clasped Edd's right hand in her small, tender ones. "Listen, why don't you go into the kitchen and get some of the food I prepared? Then you can share it out with your friends."

"Thank you, Mrs Edmonds," said Edd graciously, before leaving her and walking the length of the hallway, descending down a staircase. He emerged in a foyer that also doubled as a living room of sorts. His friends were scattered throughout the ground floor, doing activities that ranged from reading, to lounging on the couches, to even working in the kitchens. It was just something to preoccupy their minds until the Magmoro boy wakened and they could find out who he was.

"Double D!" said Eddy upon seeing his friend come down the flight of stairs. "How's Dragon Boy?"

"Still asleep, Eddy. Mrs Edmonds said that it might be a while before he wakes up, so we're allowed to help ourselves to some foodstuffs from-"

"FOOD!" bellowed Ed in his characteristic manner, getting off of the floor and running into the large kitchen. Several cries of indignation went up as the boy rummaged through the entire kitchen, looking for food to stuff his incredibly large belly with but also wrecking the room in the process.

"Ed, you idiot!" bellowed Sarah in the same voice as her brother, though much more frightening. "I'm telling Mom!"

"You can't tell your Mom," snickered Eddy, "'cos she's in another dimension, and unless you can travel across space, then Ed's not your personal slave anymore."

"Eddy!" said Ed uncomfortably. "Mom has ears and toes everywhere! She can hear all, for she is the queen of Pluto 4-and-a-half-miles-from-the-real-place!"

"Ed, your brain is seriously messed up, dude," whistled Kevin.

"Lay off, Shovel Chin!" threatened Eddy, though he whimpered in submission when Kevin glowered at him.

"Now now!" chided Edd, stepping between the rival males. "There's no need for fighting!"

"Then tell Shovel Chin to quit bein' such a jerk!" growled Eddy, pointing accusingly at Kevin.

"I'll stop if Dorky here stops being such a dork," said Kevin calmly, putting up his hands in mock surrender which only infuriated Eddy more.

"Why you!" he shouted out, grabbing for Kevin. The two boys tumbled over onto the floor and began wrestling with each other, causing most of the others to crowd around and chant "Fight! Fight! Fight!"

"Stop it this instant, you two!" ordered Edd, marching into the space and pulling them apart.

"You're so weak, dork," mocked Kevin.

"Kevin, I can't believe you!" said Edd. "I thought that perhaps Eddy may have stooped to this level, but you, Kevin? I'm shocked!"

"Well, it was him that started it, Double D!" chimed in Eddy.

"I don't care who started it, for I'm finishing it! From now on, as long as we're a team and in this together, there is to be no fights or arguments! Some of you may not get along well," said Edd, as he glanced at Eddy and Kevin, "and I can respect that, but did none of you stop to think about the bigger picture?"

"What picture, Double D?" asked Ed. "The one of the Gravestone of Evil Tim?"

"…No Ed, not that picture (thankfully). What if all these conflicts are the doing of Faith?" As he spoke, a sudden chill ran through the room.

"Does it always get cold whenever Faith's name is mentioned?" asked Jennifer, causing another cold breeze to blow into the room. "Oh, come on!"

"But what bigger picture, Double D?" asked Marie sweetly, trying to shimmy next to her "boyfriend". Luckily on his part, Nazz stopped her.

"Well, we're all strongest when united, correct? What if all these discords and disagreements are being caused by Faith?" (Cue the cold wind). "She may be trying to break us apart so that we're not strong enough to gain the Crystals and defeat her."

"Wow…" said Jimmy with sudden realisation. "I guess none of us ever thought of it like that."

"Indeed," said Edd, nodding wisely. "We've all been blind to the bigger cause; which is why we have to work together! Now, for those of you who don't like each other, then I suggest that you call a truce of sorts. At least until our lengthy task is completed."

"Alright," muttered Kevin unhappily. He walked over to Eddy, and stuck out his hand. "Truce?"

Eddy looked grumpily at Kevin before sticking his hand out as well. "Truce."

"That's it!" said Zoe's voice brightly, floating down the stairs as she herself walked down then. "Just a little bit more."

"Thank you for your help, Zoe," said a gruff male voice, and the kids saw that the Magmoro was walking down the stairs as well, arm-in-arm with Zoe.

"Hey dude!" said Kevin. "You're awake!"

"Yes, and only with your help. My name is Paricesis, and as I'm sure you've guessed I'm a Magmoro."

"So, what are you doing all the way out here?" asked Edd, as he settled onto a couch.

"I've been travelling for some time now," said Paricesis, looking out a window to the town outside, "trying to find someone who could help my people and I."

"What's your problem?" asked Edd, taking down a few notes on several scraps of paper.

"Well, I myself am a Prince of the Magmoro Kingdom. Around a week ago, several unusual environmental occurrences took place, prompting panic throughout my dad's kingdom."

"What kind of occurrences?" asked Rolf.

"Well, Mt Furyance erupted, for one thing."

"How is that unusual?" asked Zoe with an arched eyebrow.

"Mt Furyance is a quiet volcano. The last time it erupted was over three hundred years ago, and even then there was never this kind of ash."

"What about the lava lake?" asked Sarah.

"The mountain is surrounded by a natural canyon, which forms a sort of basin around the volcano. When ever lava or magma flows, it gathers in the canyon and forms, as you said, a "lava lake"."

"So in reality, Mt Furyance poses no real threat to the neighbouring environment?" asked Edd.

"Not really no," said Paricesis, "it just looks scary. But onto more important matters; Zoe has explained to me that you are all Chosen Ones, correct?" The group nodded in confirmation, and Paricesis continued. "Well, I'd like to make you a proposition."

"What kind of proposition?" asked Edd.

"I believe that Zoe said that you were all searching for the Crystals of the Elements, yes? Well, it just so happens that the Crystal of Fire is in the Temple of Fire; right at the Heart of Mt Furyance."

"Really?" asked Nazz.

"Indeed," continued Paricesis, "so I need your help."

"For what?" asked Eddy, as it seemed to him that the Magmoro prince was avoiding the major question.

"The city I come from is at the foot of Mt Furyance. Pyrovillus."

"Oh dear!" gasped Edd, realising what the problem was. "If your city is at the foot of the volcano, then it's most certainly covered in ash!"

"Wow!" whistled Marie. "That's some situation you've got on your hands, dude."

"Exactly, and as soon as I heard that the Chosen Ones, of all fortunes, were coming here to Pyrovania, I flew through that smog to reach here. It's not a long distance, so I would have been fine when I arrived." His head dropped in shame and sadness. "But I didn't count the effects of the fog, and I almost died before I reached this town."

"May I ask?" asked Edd politely. "You mentioned Pyrovania a few moments ago; what is that?"

"Didn't anyone give you a map of Areth?" asked Paricesis, looking surprised.

"We did get one," said Lindsay, speaking for the first time, "but this Pyrovania thing isn't marked on it. As Double D asked, what is it?"

"Pyrovania is the name of this area," explained Paricesis. "You know by now that Areth is home to many races, not just including humans, right?"

"Yeah," said Rebecca.

"Well, Pyrovania is like a state; Areth is divided into many of them, but around ten states double as Kingdoms."

"I don't get it," said Eddy flatly.

"Right," said the Magmoro firmly, "Pyrovania, like, for example, Forestarr in the South, is a state. However, it also doubles as the Kingdom of the Magmoro's in this country. Forestarr is the state where most of the Floranuss in Areth live."

"That clears it up so much," said Sarah sarcastically, trying to hide the fact that she still didn't get it.

"Glad you think so!" said Paricesis brightly, oblivious to Sarah's sarcastic remarks. "Anyways, onto business."

"We'll help you free your home from the smog in Pyrovania," repeated Edd, "and in return, you will guide us through Mt Furyance and to the Temple of Fire itself."

"Glad you see it the same way."

"So, when are we leaving?" asked Kevin.

"Well, whenever you're ready," said Paricesis.

"We can go now, if you want," suggested Zoe.

"Very well then!" said Paricesis. "It seems our journey begins!"

ooo

"Goodbye now!" said Clarabelle tearfully, waving to the Chosen Ones as they boarded the Chocovan. The tears in her eyes just screamed the fact that they were fake - she knew so herself - but those stupid human kids took no notice. Why should she cry, anyway; a proud woman as herself, wasting tears over a bunch of snot-nosed brats who would die sooner than later?

"Thank you for your help, Clarabelle," smiled the one with the black hat - Eddward? - coming over to shake her hand.

"Anytime my dear," replied the Innkeeper with a voice not her own. What was going on with her? She gently shook the boy's hand, and felt a funny, odd sensation flutter through her system as he beamed wildly at her.

"We have to be going now," he continued, almost sounding remorseful, "but we'll hopefully be back this way sometime in the near future."

"I'll be waiting, dearie!" called Clarabelle falsely, watching as he walked over to that infernal Chocovan. She saw the two Chocobos themselves at the front, and a feeling of disgust and anger flooded through her system. She assumed that was what it was, but she couldn't be sure… The way she felt now, staring at the birds with an almost blood-thirsty rage, should have been familiar to her; yet it was a foreign as how those children acted. She stared at her own smooth, slender hands, for they were trembling slightly like leaves in an autumn gale.

_What is happening to me? _she thought, greatly disturbed to realise that the voice in her hand, the sacred, personal voice that only she and no one else could hear, was not her own; it was the voice of a complete stranger. It sounded like a woman, but nothing like her or anyone she knew. Shaking it off as a case of nerves, Clarabelle looked up to the Chocovan nearing the edge of the town, almost disappearing in the whirling mass of coal-black smog.

"You're letting them get away!" she muttered to herself, then clasped her hands to her mouth in shock. The voice that had just left it was not her own; it was a stranger's tongue, the same as the voice in her head. "Leave me alone!" she cried again, and this time heard something else; her own, normal voice, mixed in with the voice of the strange, foreign woman. Clarabelle was scared; she hastily walked back to her, and practically stumbled drunkenly into the hallway, clambering up the stairs. Seizures and fits seemed so close to striking, and unfamiliar spasms raced throughout her bones, muscles and body.

"I…" she breathed, as she faltered near the banister, halfway up the stairs. "I…I'm dying…" She screamed, a wail of pitiful rage, and stumbled up again, continuing on her mighty trek up the wooden staircase. She finally reached the top, but she was already feeling what she could only assumed to be the sensations of Death coming for her; a strange, ethereal fogginess had settled itself mistily over her eyes, and a cold sensation had wrapped around her heart as though a fist of bone was holding it. Her heart was the bird and the fist the cage.

That was when she first noticed something was amiss; there was something odd about the way her heart felt, but she couldn't figure it out for the life of her. "Why me?" she screamed at no one, almost collapsing against the wall. She finally reached her bedroom, and swung open the door to her private sanctum; just to receive the shock of her life.

There it was, lying peacefully in her bed as though nothing had disturbed its slumber. It was an exact copy of her, right down to every minute detail. Nothing was amiss or different; it had the same black hair, the same grey eyes, even the same clothes.

"A g-ghost!" she screamed in terror, and the fogginess in her eyes settled itself even deeper. The doppelganger snuggled deeper into her bed, making a contented noise. And that was when it hit Clarabelle, standing in the doorway.

The thing in the bed was the _real _Clarabelle. _She _herself was the clone, and exact replica of the human being who lay peacefully in her bed, snuggled under the covers while still in her work clothes.

"What is this?" asked Clarabelle the Clone in a tiny, fearful whisper, slowly backing away from her real self. The tightness around her heart was even more oppressive, as though it were trying to squeeze the very life from the true core of her being. That was when it came to her; the oddness about her heart was the fact that it didn't beat.

She was already dead, and had been for her entire existence.

The fogginess now merged with the real world, and Clarabelle saw things she didn't want to see; ideas that weren't hers, memories she had never experienced, feelings totally unfamiliar to her. There was something recurring about these visions, though; a woman with cold black eyes and hair the colour of the sun.

"Yes…" whispered Clarabelle, her eyes changing from misty-grey to an evil obsidian-black. "Yes!" she cried out, for she was slowly remembering everything she had done. "YES!" she screamed in a villainous ecstasy, as she regained her memories and thoughts; who she was and what her purpose upon that planet was.

"Oh, you were a naughty girl!" she scolded herself cheekily, glancing at her constantly shifting, transforming reflection in her mirror. It was changing, just like her; one moment she was Clarabelle, the next the woman with blonde hair, and the next a sort of combination of the two. With black hair, dark as death and streaked with solar blonde, and eyes the same shade as stone with rings of utter blackness around the pupil, Clarabelle the Clone began her…_restoration._

She collapsed suddenly on the ground, and began to curl up in a foetal position. Part of her was terrified, the Clarabelle part of her mind screaming pleas of pity, mercy and begging. _Please! I don't want to die!_ But the other part of her - her _true _self, who she _really _was - was blotting out the temporary human side. _Please. You've served your purpose. From spirit and dust you came, and to dust and spirit you shall return._ Clarabelle shuddered, in both terror and glee, as a cocoon of darkness wrapped itself around her frame, blotting out her surroundings, the light, her humanity. Underneath her dark embrace, she was shifting; a changing mass of dark and evil energy that filled the whole house. Suddenly, as soon as it began, it stopped. The cocoon slowly flattened out, until it began to peel itself away as if functioning like magic; bit by bit, until the completely changed Clarabelle the Clone lay underneath in her new form. She slowly got up, getting herself used again to the familiarity of her own body. She looked at herself in the mirror, as though checking that everything was okay, and that nothing had gone wrong with the transformation sequence.

"Well," said Faith, "it seems as if my little mission was a success."

ooo

"Wahoo!" cried Paricesis gleefully, as the Chocovan traversed over rough terrain. "This is almost as good as flying, especially through this smog!"

"Has it always been this bumpy?" complained Jimmy in earnest, lying flat one of the seats while his face was a faint shade of green.

"We must be nearing more treacherous terrain," said Zoe, gazing forlornly out of the window next to her. The smog was easing up slightly, but there was still a veil of gray that clouded her vision. It almost seemed to Zoe that she wasn't in a caravan; she was on a train, beautiful and sleek, zooming through the night skies. She would be alone in the carriage, and her only company the stars outside, so bright that she could see them through the smog.

"Yoo-hoo?" said Ed, waving his hand's in front of Zoe's blissfully unaware face. "Zoe?"

"Ed, it's best you leave her alone," said Edd, gently coercing Ed from his sister. He could see from the serene, yet piercing, look on his sister's face that she was in another one of her reveries. From _Dragon Quest _to escargot, Zoe could dream about it all. Provided she was devoid of interruption, which was hard to get when with Eddy or Ed for most of her day.

"So, what's it like living in Pyro-whatchamacallit?" asked Kevin nonchalantly to Paricesis, leaning back against the padded seat he was sitting in.

"You mean Pyrovania?" asked Paricesis politely.

"Yeah, that."

"It's great!" replied Paricesis enthusiastically, setting off into a fanciful tale in which he explained near every aspect of his life. "The mountain can get really hot at times, and the ash doesn't help for flying, but the lava-surfing is great, and you should try "Molten Ball!"

"The name doesn't sound exactly safe," said Nazz.

"That what makes it fun! The threat of death adds to the thrill of the game!"

"It sounds fun!" said Ed gleefully, causing Paricesis to explain -in vigour - the culture of Magmoro sports.

"It's funny, isn't it?" said Rebecca to Eddy, both of them watching a wide-eyed Ed and Paricesis, who was using lots of gestures to explain the rules of Molten Ball.

"What?" asked Eddy grouchily.

"Look at Paricesis, and tell me what you notice about him."

"Well…" Eddy stopped to think for a while, casually examining the Magmoro prince. "I guess he's really active and hyper, and he doesn't seem to be scared of anything. And he looks even tougher than Rolf…"

"Exactly!" said Rebecca. "Now, what was Rosaline like?"

"She was quiet and graceful, and seemed to be very wary of a lot of stuff. And to be honest, she wasn't all that tough - but don't you dare tell her that next time we see her!"

"Don't worry, I won't," laughed Rebecca.

"Anyway, why were you asking about Rosie and Pass?"

"Another nickname?" asked the blonde with an arched eyebrow.

"Yeah, and? You're avoiding the question, as Double D would say."

"Well, I was just comparing Rosaline and Paricesis, and I noticed something; their personalities are totally different, like their Elements. Paricesis is associated with Fire; he likes thrill, near-death excitements, he's hyper, energetic… A lot of those things seem to be personality traits associated with fire. I bet for one thing he's hot-blooded."

"What about Rosie?"

"She was calm, quiet, yet always looking out for ways to survive. She seemed to not be bothered if she lived out the same boring routine every day; just like a plant."

"Only someone like you could notice those things, Rebecca," smirked Eddy, leaning back further into his seat, almost lying down at a vertical angle.

"You mean someone sexy, intelligent, graceful and strong?" asked Rebecca seemingly nonchalantly, although she was actually hoping for a positive answer from the short Ed boy.

"Nope; I mean some crazy dude who pays attention to every friggin' minute detail."

Before Rebecca could slap Eddy's cheek, the Chocovan ground to an abrupt halt, prompting several curious Chosen Ones to stop what they were doing and look to the front.

"What's happening now?" asked Edd tiredly; it seemed as if Faith - sorry, _Fate - _was trying everything possible to halt their rather important journey. Another example of Fate's neutrality for the forces of Good and Evil.

"Why the Hell are ya asking us?" said Lee, glancing back at the hat-wearing Knight. "If you've got a problem, take it up with the driver."

"Please, I have no wish to bicker," said Edd politely, though his eyes were still slightly narrowed.

"Zoe?" asked Ed, sitting down next to his best friend. "Do you know why we've stopped?"

"I'm afraid not, Ed," said Zoe, patting his right shoulder while staring out through the glass window, her cheek pressed against the cooling substance.

"Do you think it may have something to do with the Robot Chainsaw Massacre Mutant?"

"I don't think so, Ed."

"Aww… Okay…"

Ed sat silently next to his friend, twiddling his thumbs together out of boredom, while Zoe continued to gaze intently out of the window. There was something oddly enticing about the black, heavy fog that hung outside the Chocovan. It was hypnotic, the way it twisted and coiled, the manner in which it brushed lazily against the glass, the way the twisted hybrid monster ran quickly in front of her, the way-

"Zoe!" gasped Ed excitedly, almost breathless. "Did you see it! Did you?"

"Yes, Ed," said Zoe uncomfortably, eyes wide. "I s-saw it." The Chimera ran past again, and Zoe - once more - stifled with terror at the sight of the hideous monster. A deformed, hybrid mutant that shouldn't have existed, yet was right in front of her.

"Oh no," said Edd, coming up to her. "Did I just see…?"

"Yes," said Zoe nervously, "I think the… Chimera is chasing us."

"Chimera?" asked Paricesis suddenly, acting extremely jovial and hyper. "I love them! In fact, you just reminded me of a poem I know about them." Paricesis began to breathe in deeply.

"Paricesis," said Edd quickly, "I really don't think it's necessary-"

"_Chymera, Chymera burning bright,_

_In the darkness of the night._

_What sad mortal would not die,_

_As you fly across the blood-stained sky."_

Paricesis finished his uncouth recital proudly, looking at the others for approval.

"That's just plain odd," said Zoe, perplexed. "First of all, there's _those _similarities, and now there's a poem that sounds remarkably similar to _The Tyger_?"

"This world is just plain messed up," said Eddy in a low voice, so as not to draw Paricesis's attention to how he was insulting his world.

"Anyways, what are we going to do?" asked Kevin, taking the role of group leader for the current situation.

"About what?" asked Sarah curtly.

"About that stupid Chimera thing. That big boy doesn't look really friendly, and if he's stalking us then it's best we take it out as soon as possible."

"For once, a good idea's come outta your head, Shovel Chin," smirked Eddy. There was now something different about the way he talked to Kevin; not as nastily or as snidely as he had done before, but now with a tone of - almost - friendly rivalry.

"Er… Thanks, I guess…" For someone who was so popular, Kevin sure didn't know about how to handle receiving a compliment from his long-time rival.

"So, who's gonna beat the snot outta that Chimera?" asked Eddy again, rubbing his hands together as though he was getting ready to work at something.

"I volunteer," said Zoe instantly, raising her hand.

"Zoe," asked Nazz kindly, concerned about her best friend, "are you sure you want to fight that thing?"

"Yes, I'm sure. Why do you ask?"

"Nothing personal, but I don't think it's that good an idea. Last time you fought the Chimera, you…well, I guess the only way to say it is froze up. What's to stop you from doing that this time as well?"

"Don't worry, I'll be fine," reassured Zoe. "The only reason I stalled was because I was so shocked to see the Chimera."

"Why?" asked Jimmy.

"Well, as I'm sure most of you are aware, I like mythology," started Zoe, with a sort of faraway gleam in her cerulean eyes. "I especially adore the Ancient Greek legends, and the Chimera is one I'm particularly interested in. The thing is, it scares me witless, even just reading about it; so imagine my reaction in real life if I saw it."

"So that's why you froze!" concluded Michael correctly.

"Yes. Now that I've saw it, however, and am familiar with how it looks, I think I can take it on and teach it some manners."

"Okay, so we've got Zoe," said Kevin. "I think another three should go. Who wants a place?"

"Me!" said Elle excitedly, raising her hand. "I can't wait to take on this beast!"

"I want to go as well!" said Paricesis getting up off his seat and cracking his knuckles. "I've never faced off with a Chimera before, and I want to know what it feels like to beat the stuffing out of one!"

"So that's three, and four plus myself," said Kevin. "Alright, those who are coming get ready and meet me at the door."

"Zoe?" asked Rebecca to her cousin while they said goodbye (for now). "Are you sure you're up for this?"

"Of course I am. Why?"

"Well, for one you're shaking, and you look like a sheet of paper."

"I'm just nervous," said Zoe, licking her dry lips in order to add some moisture to him. "I mean, who wouldn't be? I'm about to fight a lion, goat and snake hybrid along with a girl who claims to see ghosts, a dragon Prince from another world and a jock with whom I have no idea how to act when around him?" Zoe stopped for breath. "What's there not to be nervous about?"

ooo

"Do you see anything?" spoke Elle in a hushed whisper.

"Nope. Only the fog!" said Paricesis cheerfully. "I like this fog, when it's not so thick - you never know what could just pop put and slaughter you!"

"You know what?" added Elle, turning to face her companion, who carried a silver, jewel-encrusted rapier as a weapon for combat. "I like you; you embrace death and thrills, and you're not afraid to show it."

"Aw, thanks!" said Paricesis, acting a lot like Ed. "I like you as well!"

Meanwhile, a fair distance away in the apparently never-ending fog, Zoe and Kevin were slowly walking together, each of them wary of their shrouded surroundings; though not as weary as they were to each other.

_I can't stand this, _thought Zoe miserably, trying her hardest not to glance at Kevin for fear of her heavily constructed resolve crumbling like a house made of sand. _Why is there such thick tension between us? I don't like it like this, back like when we were at the cul-de-sac, when he played sports and I admired him from afar… _Zoe mentally slapped herself, an expression on her face suggesting that she had physically done so. _Why am I acting like such a spineless sap? God, I can be such a bitch to myself when I want to be…_

Meanwhile, her companion had similar thoughts. _Oh my God, she looks so hot right now. This stupid fog only makes it better; least she can't see me blush… But I don't like this feeling of tension between us. Ever since that little, er…incident…back in Areth Forest, we've grown distant. I hate it; I made such a fool of myself, and look where it's got us. What would Zoe call this feeling between us? Animosity…?_

As Zoe and Kevin both mentally berated themselves, their train of thoughts were derailed when two little glowing balls zoomed through the smog towards them. One was glowing a pale, almost white blue colour, while the other glowed a golden, vibrant shade like a miniature sun right before the two humans.

"OMG!" squeaked a tiny voice from the golden ball, as it fluttered around the two Chosen Ones. "Zoe and, like, Kevin! Like, long time no see, huh?"

"What the-" asked Kevin, his eyes darting after the glowing, fluttering golden sphere.

"And loving the, like, clothes dudes!" announced the orb. Then it gave off a squeaky laugh. "Oh wait, I gave you them, didn't I! And, like, what's this vibe I'm getting? You're doing, like, great at your Jobs; I'm so proud!"

"Cut it out," said the blue orb for the first time, speaking in a deeper (though still slightly squeaky), more masculine voice than the golden orb.

"Wait a second…" said Zoe, as she pieced together the pieces of the puzzle. She looked straight at the golden orb. "Lealelle…?"

"That's right!" announced the little fairy proudly. "Long time no see, huh?"

"But- what-" said Kevin, absolutely flabbergasted as the two fairies fluttered around Zoe and he.

"No time to explain!" said the male fairy.

"Yeah, we're so lucky we, like, found you!" said Lealelle, sounding a bit more worried now than her usual casual self. "We were both like, so scared, and then I was all like, "OMG, you never guessed who I feel is, like, nearby," and then-"

"We're being chased by the Chimera," said the blue fairy flatly, cutting off the golden female.

Speak of the devil.

A sudden jet of flame roared through the fog, as the foursome scattered. Kevin instantly ran, the two fairies squeaking and fluttering in a panicked manner around him, when he turned back to see a horrifying sight.

Zoe was lying on the ground, knocked over by the force of the hot wind caused by the flamethrower. The Chimera was standing not too far off, perched on a rock and examining her hungrily. Despite her promises in the Chocovan, Zoe's nerves had failed her once again, and she was frozen in terror as the Chimera prepared to eat her.

"Oh, like, no!" gasped Lealelle. "Kevin dude, go save her!"

"You're right…" muttered Kevin slowly and angrily, drawing his sword. Then he ran full pelt back the way he came. "Zoe! I'm coming!"

It was now a race against time…

ooo

AN: …

Lilienne: As Lucas would say himself, and thy quotes, "cliff-hangery goodness abound here". As it would seem, he has not yet returned, and so thy will once again present this segment on thy own self. Also, this story has Zoe and Kevin as a couple. Deal with it, mortal fools. Now, onto this chapter's "Fun Cul-de-sac Facts" segment, and this chapter's focus is on Rolf, "The Foreign Kid." Did thou know that:

1. Rolf's favourite colour is potato-yellow? (…)

2. Rolf is of Swedish, Finnish, Norwegian, Russian, Estonian, Hungarian and Swiss descent?

3. That Rolf counts "sheep-herding" and "goat-milking" as sports?

4. Rolf hates people who try to press other cultures and technology onto him?

5. Rolf has a fear of hatred, Neophobia, and a fear and hatred of technology, Technophobia?

6. Rolf has only one favourite school subject; Lunch.

7. Rolf loves foods so obscure and repulsing that it will scare you if thy just mentions them?

8. Rolf has worked on his family farm since he was three, and his favourite animal is Victor the Goat?

9. Rolf has twelve siblings in his family.

10. Rolf can speak all the languages of his ancestry, as well as the mother-tongue of the obscure Old Country?

Lilienne: Joy of joys, thy tedious task is over…at least for now. Next chapter shall be Lee, "The First Sister", so please look out for it. Remember to review. Or else…

-Lilienne

Me: Oh no you don't!

-LucasBravvus97


	18. Chapter 18: Lealelle's Rise and Fall

AN: Hello! How are we all today?

Lilienne: Why on earth is thou asking that? How in the name of mushroom are the readers going to reply to _that_?

Me: I can dream! Stop berating me, you witch!

Lilienne: It appears that someone is in a bad mood today…

Me: Oh shut up! *Glares at Lilienne* Anyways, I'm still angry with you!

Lilienne: Why?

Me: You locked me in a CELL last chapter, so you could take over the story!

Lilienne: Details, details…

Chapter Eighteen: Lealelle's Rise and Fall

ooo

"Zoe! Hang on!"

Kevin ran blindly towards his childhood friend; and the Chimera. He flung himself over rock and stone, his feet skirting on the ground so that as he ran, it was like he was flying. The smoke was his sky, the ground the world below.

"Kevin, dude!" squeaked Lealelle annoyingly. "Like, hurry up!"

"Grrr!" growled the Chimera threateningly, staring at Zoe with eyes aflame with utter hatred.

"K-Kevin!" cried Zoe, her face pallid with fear and horror at the beast before here. "Help!"

"I'm coming!" he cried again, running as fast as he possibly could. "Hang in there!"

"Like, hurry up!" squeaked Lealelle again. Kevin was starting to get annoyed; helpful as she was, Lealelle was very irritating. At least she wasn't retarded, but did she really need to say like around at least twice in every sentence? His thoughts were interrupted as the Chimera gave yet another loud, powerful roar before leaping over to Zoe.

"ZOE!" screamed Kevin in horror; everything was in slow-motion. He could see Zoe, leaning back slightly, as her hand went up in futile defence. The Chimera; jumping up into the air with its wings spread. _Wait, wings?_ thought Kevin in confusion. The Chimera before didn't have wings; was it a different one?

"HEY!" squeaked Lealelle again, in a voice curiously familiar to Zoe; she was half expecting a "Listen!" to follow after it. "LEAVE ZOE ALONE, YOU TWO-HEADED FREAK!"

The glowing sun-golden sphere suddenly hurtled out of nowhere, right into the lion face of the fiend. It growled again, and snapped at the air where Lealelle was. She had already flown away; fairies were indeed known for their speed. Suddenly, the Chimera stopped; it looked at Lealelle in an odd manner, for she was now glowing extremely bright. Much brighter than before, she now began to fly up even higher, right up through the mist. Suddenly, she hurtled back down again, straight towards the beast. That was when Kevin noticed; somehow, probably as a result of magic, Lealelle had grown tremendously in size. She was now about the same size as Elle!

"Sir!" cried the other fairy, flying up to Kevin who by now had stopped running. "Please, get Zoe back to the Chocovan!"

"But what about Lealelle and..." Kevin realised that he still didn't know the fairies name.

"Ryx. Now please, get Zoe and go! Lealelle and I will follow on! Go!" Ryx flew away with his fairy companion, who by now was being chased through the fog by the beast. With nowhere else to go, Kevin ran and gently lifted up Zoe (who this time had fainted) and ran back through the black fog to the Chocovan; and safety...

ooo

"Kevin!" exclaimed Edd, as the said boy abruptly burst through the door of the Chocovan with an unconscious Zoe hanging limply in his arms.

"Whoa!" cried Eddy, his eyes wide as he echoed just about everyone's thoughts. "What the heck happened to Zoe?"

"Chimera...winged...fire-breathing..." Kevin, panting heavily, breathlessly tried to explain what had occurred in the ash-laden landscape outside.

"I didn't understand a word you just said, dude," said Jennifer flatly. "All I heard was, "Huff, huff, huff, huff..." Before Kevin could once again try to explain what had happened, a winged girl garbed in yellow and a floating blue orb burst through the door, slamming it shut tight behind them.

"Like, hey guys!" said Lealelle cheerfully, noticing the gob-smacked expressions on all the Chosen Ones save Kevin. "I know, like, I'm a little larger, like, than before, but do you think that, like, you can help Ryx and I close the door? Like, well?"

"There's no time to waste it!" pressed Ryx further, still in his "Miniature" form. "There's a fire-breathing _Chomerus_ outside, and it's about to break through in order to eat Zoe!"

"Er...sure..." said Michael, confused as to why two fairies were in a volcanic landscape for all purposes. Michael walked over to the both of them, and helped to completely close (plus lock) the door of the Chocovan.

"Zoe?" asked Edd tentatively, gently shaking his unconscious sister. "Please wake up!"

"Isn't it obvious she's faking it?" asked Rebecca, squatting down on her haunches near her cousin's head.

"No, she isn't!" said Edd angrily, glaring at his cousin. "How dare you suggest that after Zoe went through such a scary experience!"

"So, you're saying that she's genuinely knocked out?"

"I am a hundred-percent certain that my poor sister is genuinely unconscious!"

"We'll see about that, won't we, Double D?" said Rebecca conspiringly. "Oh, Zoe! Sure red is the worst colour to wear in October, right?"

"That's a lie, Rebecca," cried out Zoe, shooting up instantly and scaring the life out of Edd, "and you know it is, you summer-lover!"

"See?" said Rebecca.

"So, you were awake all this time?" asked Nazz incredulously.

"Yes," replied Zoe nonchalantly, "but I'm hungry, so I didn't wish to fight on an empty stomach."

"Smart move!" said Jonny, causing Jennifer to cast him a look that probably meant "can't-you-just-shut-up-you-retarded-weirdo".

"Anyways," began Edd, turning to Lealelle and Ryx, "I think some Q-&-A's are in order. Let's begin, shall we?" Edd sat down on the seat, and motioned for the two fairies to sit (or hover) on (or above) the seat opposite him.

"Ask away, Double, like, D!" said Lealelle brightly.

"If you may, can you tell me why you were both in the immediate vicinity?" asked Edd, an ink pen in his hand, poised to write on a scrap of lined paper he held. Being the editor and Technology Correspondent of the "Peach Creek Junior High Tattler" had its perks.

"Well, like, me and Ryx had been cooped up inside, like, the Pathfinder Orb for so long that, like, we wanted to go out and re-explore, like, Gaia."

"I see. Ryx, I know that Lealelle was in the Orb, but until now, I had never heard of you."

"I'm the other fairy inside it. Lealelle is the guide of the Orb, while I was its protector."

"Right... Anyway, how long were you both inside it for?"

"Like, let's see," said Lealelle thoughtfully, counting on her fingers. Then she looked brightly at Edd. "Ten thousand years!"

"...Excuse me?" said Edd, his eyes wide and round. "You were both inside that artefact for ten millennia?"

"Like, sure!" said Lealelle. "When old Fussyboots was still around, she, like, put me and Ryx into the Orb; you know, like, before she died."

"Two things," said Edd. "One: who was "Fussyboots"? Two: why were you both in the Pathfinder Orb?"

"Who was Fussyboots?" asked Lealelle. "Who else? Like, Erica, of course! I was her familiar, and I was, like, her favourite fairy companion." She said the last part rather boastfully.

"That answers one of my questions, but what about the other?"

"To be honest, I, like, don't really know…" Lealelle looked slightly crestfallen at the last bit she uttered. "There was promise of all this glory, like, and stuff, but I never, like, really had to do anything; except, like, when you all came."

"So is that all?" said Edd, now putting his pen-and-paper back into his bag.

"Yep!"

"Wait!" said Sarah. "Just one more thing!"

"What?" replied Lealelle.

"Why do you say "like" all the time?"

Before Lealelle could reply, a something hit the moving Chocovan; hard. It toppled over to the right slightly, causing its passengers to fall or stumble over. That was why gasps and cries and "what-the-Hell?"'s filled the air, as the van gave another sickening lurch, this time to the left. It toppled over even more violently, as though it was about to fall.

"Good Lord!" cried Edd. "We're doomed!"

"Get a grip, Double D!" snarled Eddy vivaciously, trying to hold onto the armrest of one of the chairs.

"What's happening?" asked Kevin to no one in particular, as the Chocovan slowly started to get back on track. Hope filled the Chosen Ones' heads; if Lindsay, who so far had proved herself as a rather potent driver, rushed into the passenger compartment, her normally rosy-cheeked face now an even more violent shade of red, as the blood rush to fill up her cheeks.

"Lindsay," said Edd, sounding surprised at how willingly she had abandoned her post. "What's wrong?"

"There's something outside that's chasing us!" she barked, her normally flowing brown hair now looking like barbs of iron wire as she spoke. Suffice to say, angry Lindsay was not a pretty sight.

"No!" said Sarah sarcastically. "You don't say, retard!"

Lindsay shrieked with anger, and practically threw herself at Sarah, attempting (and sadly failing) to claw out her eyes. The reason she failed was that Ed was now hoisting her up, completely oblivious to the kicks and punches she aimed at his limbs. "Now now, Lindsay! Play nice with the cuckoos!"

"Lindsay, I agree - at least to some extent - with Ed's words," said Edd. "What has gotten into you!"

"The Darkest One hides in the night!" shrieked Lindsay, her eyes now wide and fearful, but still seeping with hatred. "It causes the shadows to cower in fear, as it spreads itself! Infestation follows, for all who are cursed!"

"What the Hell is wrong with her?" cried Eddy, as he and most of the others inched away from her and against the furthest wall of the Chocovan.

"She's, like, quoting random words from the, like, Arethacon!" said Lealelle, who due to her frightened emotions had shrunk back down into her miniature form.

"What's that?" asked Zoe in a frightened stupor.

"The Arethanity, like, holy book!"

"Oh, so like a Bible of sorts…"

Suddenly, Lindsay stopped moving. The others stopped fleeing from her as well, and stared at her with mixed feelings of disgusted fascination and morbid delight. She was absolutely still, as though she was a statue with incredible, intricate detail. She wasn't gazing blankly into space, and her eyes seemed to focus on nothing; she wasn't even blinking. Suddenly, her right arm gave a small twitch, and a tiny dribble of saliva began to slowly trickle from the left corner of her lips. She twitched her muscles again, and this time she blinked, one full time. Then her face turned to face them, and the others listened as her bones creaked slightly. Then something black began to crawl out of her mouth.

"Oh my God!" screamed Nazz, as the inhabitants began to panic and descend into chaos. "What _is that thing_?"

"No…" muttered Ryx, as though this was all some cruel dream that he was going to wake up from. "No no no no, please no, no!"

At the black thing began to exit from her mouth, she gave a loud wretch, as though she was trying to hurl it out of her. The thing was like a shadow; it had no corporeal shape, and if you tried to focus your eyes on it, it faded from view. It seemed to be roughly humanoid in shape, but without any lower legs, replaced with a tail. It seemed to be made of a black-and-purple gas, and it shrieked, showing off its pincer-like teeth.

"No way!" said Lealelle, sounding aghast. "What is one of _those _doing inside of her?"

"Never mind asking why!" huffed Rebecca, taking out her staff. "Just tell us what that thing is!" The thing in question was now almost completely out of Lindsay's body; it seemed to be trying to break restraints of some sort.

"It's a Ghastly Shade!" explained Lealelle, who kept glancing at the Ghastly Shade nervously.

"What is it?" asked Eddy. "What's so wrong with it? Doesn't look all that bad to me."

"Eddy," said Ryx, with absolutely no signs of liking in his voice as he spoke to the short one, "a Ghastly Shade, while it may truthfully not look imposing, is possibly one of the most foulest, evilest, twisted, sickest creature known to creation. They are parasitic ghosts; they can survive for long in their pure form, so they can attach themselves to others, slowly taking over their body. But they are not only parasites, they're also poisoners. The foul vapour that originates from them is enough to weaken someone's mental state, which eventually results in insanity. And do you know what the Ghastly Shade does then?"

When no one answered, he continued on speaking, while the Ghastly Shade near them slowly got closer and closer to completely breaking out of Lindsay's body. There seemed to be a sort of seal on its head; a cross with four flames on each tip. One by one, the flames were slowly losing their glow, until they disappeared and the next one began to vanish. The second flame was almost gone. "The Ghastly Shade abandons its host to their wretched fate, and simply goes off to find another poor soul to possess. One of the Ghastly Shade's lucky traits is that it has no emotions, meaning no remorse for their actions."

"So, how long has Lindsay been…possessed…for?" asked Zoe tentatively.

"From what I can see, a very long time," replied Ryx. Three flames down; one to go.

"That can't be!" exclaimed Edd, as he examined Lindsay and the emerging Ghastly Shade with horror. "I've known her for many years, as have most of the others here, and Lindsay has never shown any signs of, dare I say it, being possessed!"

"That's because the Ghastly Shade isn't possessing her; at the moment," said Ryx.

"What do you mean?" asked Kevin.

"Do you see that symbol, the cross and four flames?" said Ryx, hovering higher and glowing brighter. "On the Ghastly Shade's top?"

"Yeah," said Eddy slowly, "what about it?"

"It's a _seal_. A crudely done one, but a seal nonetheless."

"What does it do?" asked Jimmy fearfully, disturbed at the thought that a person he had been around for a lot of his life had actually had a demonic ghost thing inside of her.

"It imprisons the Ghastly Shade inside an individual. Nothing like being possessed, but still the same core matter. The Ghastly Shade has been inside her for the good past few years."

"But why was it sealed in her?" asked Edd.

"I don't know," pondered Ryx. "Unless…" His voice began to grow fearful, and the light on him diminished. "Quickly! We have to hurry!"

"Who? What? Where? When? Why?" quacked Ed randomly.

"The Ghastly Shade needs to be resealed inside Lindsay! For her safety and ours!" Yet as luck would have it, just as Ryx said that there was a sound like a balloon popping, and with a truly ghastly cackle of triumph, the Ghastly Shade flew out of Lindsay's mouth. She herself gave a scream as though she was being murdered, and she fell into an ungainly heap on the floor.

"Cover, like, your mouths!" screamed Lealelle in a horrified voice, before the Ghastly Shade bolted towards Zoe. She gave out a muffled scream as the beast tried to pry her hands apart with God knows what; perhaps magic of the darkest kind.

"Hey!" barked Rebecca, slicing through the ghost with her staff. "Get away from Zoe!"

The demon ignored and refused to listen to Rebecca's complaints, as it tried and succeeded in prying Zoe's hands apart. For one horrible second, everything was completely still. Rebecca saw Zoe's eyes, terrified and unwilling to become the Ghastly Shade's next host. There was a silent plea in them; help me.

That was why everyone was quite surprised, to say the least, when the Ghastly Shade flew right across the room and into Lealelle's mouth.

She screamed and gagged at the same time; a horrific sound and sight at the same time. She tried to pull the ghost back out of her system, but it was too late; it had already flew down her throat and into God knows where. She stopped, and had the same expression on her face as Lindsay had had moments before; dazed and disoriented. Slowly, crimson began to run out of her nose, and more blood began seeping from her gums. She then began to violently shake on the ground, hitting and banging into every single hard thing around her. Ryx, now that she was having this fit, warned everyone else to avoid contact with Lealelle.

"She's a lost cause," he stated grimly. "We can't try to pry the Ghastly Shade out of her; if we do, then it'll know we're trying to destroy it. So it'll take down Lealelle with itself."

"What's happening to her now, though?" pressed Marie. All of the kids, save poor Lindsay and Zoe who was tending (albeit shakily) to her, had taken out their weapons in case the Ghastly Shade decided to get nasty.

"This is what happens at the start of every possession," warned Ryx, "as it's a test to see if the Ghastly Shade and host are compatible. Get ready; it's almost finished!" Sure enough, the violent seizure that had mere moments ago had Lealelle in its clutch had now let go of her. She stood up, and stared at the group with deadpan eyes. Suddenly, purple veins began to appear under her now sallow skin, and her eyes and lips with black, flecked with red.

"Like, hi guys!" giggled Lealelle, waving at the group.

"Stop it!" cried Nazz suddenly, her eyes blazing anger and her grip on her staff tightening.

"Stop, like, what?"

"You know what! Stop mocking Lealelle as though you were her!"

"But… I am, like, her…" said Lealelle confusedly, stepping back and looking at Nazz as though she had lost her marbles.

"No you're not!" barked Sarah angrily.

"Yeah, stop tryin' to trick us!" said Eddy also.

"And, like, I told you; I'm Lealelle!" said Lealelle again, now sounding exasperated.

"She's right," said Ryx meekly.

"What?" asked Rolf, eyeing up the small blue fairy.

"This is Lealelle…" continued Ryx grimly, "though not the one we know…"

"Then who is it?" pressed Edd, desperate to gain more knowledge of Gaia.

"She's now a fusion of two entities…" murmured Ryx. "Lealelle and a Ghastly Shade… Combined…"

"Like, totally!" squeaked the black-lipped Lealelle happily. Then she looked forlornly at the Chosen Ones. "I, like, don't know what you're all so sad about. Sharing your soul and body isn't _that _bad; it's a rather, like, nice feeling. My head is so, like, clear…"

"The Ghastly Shade is thinking for her," said Ryx angrily. "Lealelle thinks that she's totally in control of herself, but when the time is right, the Ghastly Shade will take over her body and use it as a puppet."

"Well, like, no it isn't!" exclaimed Lealelle. "There's only one, like, dudette in charge of my body, and that's -" Lealelle coughed slightly - "me!"

"Well, whoever is in charge of Lealelle's body, tell her this!" said Edd. "We're going to save her, and Lindsay, and defeat you, you hideous impostor!"

"Like, Double D!" said Lealelle in mock indignation. "That, like, hurts me!"

"Shut up!" spat Sarah. "Are you ready to fight or what?"

"Sure," smirked Lealelle, "if you, like, want me to. But first I, like, have to call a friend..." She floated over to the door, and pushed it open; the black smog was still outside. "Oh Chimmie!"

A sudden roar ripped through the air, and Lealelle looked delighted at the faces of the Chosen Ones. "Yep!" smirked Lealelle in a falsetto voice. "The Chimera that's been following you has been under the Ghastly - I mean, my - control. And Lindsay's."

"So, we have to fight the Chimera and you?" asked Zoe with narrowed eyes.

"Yep!"

"Very well," confirmed Edd, eyeing up the fairy. "Kevin, Nazz, May, Paricesis and myself shall duel with you, while Eddy, Rebecca, Ed, Jimmy and Elle shall tend with the Chimera. The others shall guard here."

"Okay," winked Lealelle. "See, like, you soon!" She zoomed outside, to where the Chimera was.

"So, will you all be okay waiting here?" asked Nazz, leaning down next to Lindsay and her best friend.

"Of course!" replied Zoe heartily. "I'll tend to Lindsay, and the others can protect the Chocovan. You go on and do what you need to do; we'll be okay."

"If you're sure," said Elle, and she and Jimmy walked out of the door, closely followed by Ed.

"Remember, be safe!" called Jennifer, as Paricesis, May and Nazz departed.

"We will!" confirmed Edd, as he, Rebecca and Eddy left. As they were going out of the door, Zoe walked up to Kevin to speak to him privately.

"Uh... Hi..." said Kevin awkwardly, blushing slightly.

"Listen," said Zoe, "and shut up. Things haven't been great between us since that forest. We're sorting it out now, a new slate if you will. So, be safe." Zoe smiled at him, and Kevin was as red as Sarah's hair.

"Thanks..." he said awkwardly, now walking out of the door.

"Oh, two more things," called Zoe after him. He looked back.

"What?"

"One: look after Eddward. Two: don't die." She smiled again, and pecked him on the cheek.

ooo

"Is it just me, or is this smog finally clearing up?" remarked Elle to Jimmy as they wandered slowly through it, waiting for the others to catch up to them. As Elle was saying, the smog was still very dense, yet it had cleared slightly. Barren gray mountains were visible in the distance, and they seemed to be passing through a rocky canyon. Veins of molten-hot magma passed through the earth, and the duo were careful to avoid treading on it; lest their feet be singed.

"I think so," muttered Jimmy, trying to peer through it. "I still can't see the sky though…"

"At least we can see those mountains."

"I guess so. Hey are you guys coming?" called Jimmy, looking backwards. Out of the black smog emerged Rebecca, Eddy and Ed.

"Yeah!" called Eddy back irritatingly. "Just wait a sec!"

"Honestly, you'd think for his size he'd be a bit faster," complained Elle, "unless he's secretly a fatso."

"Watch it, Psycho!" taunted Eddy, catching up to them. "Or are you gonna ask some dead creeps to come and try to scare me? Oooh, I'm so scared!" Eddy cackled with glee as Elle's face turned a livid scarlet, and she looked as though steam was about to start hissing from her ears, in stereotypical cartoon fashion, at any moment.

"I told you, I have a gift!" said Elle for the four-hundredth-and-sixty-second time. "My Sight is not a curse of derangement; it's a gift, a talent, that needs to be honed and perfected before it becomes fully operational!"

"Wait!" called Ed suddenly, interrupting the bicker between the two. "My brain is flashing!"

"What, Ed?" asked Elle, staring at the big lug's face, which was now grinning madly.

"The toast in my ears is burning!"

"Ew, Ed!" gagged Jimmy. "That's disgusting!"

"Haha!" laughed Eddy, playfully slapping his friend on the back. "Nice one Monobrow!"

"Will you all stop it!" said Rebecca in a commandeering voice. "For once, Ed's cerebrum is actually functioning like a normal human's, yet you - "she jabbed Eddy in the chest with her pointer finger " - aren't letting him concentrate!"

"Yeesh!" said Eddy. "Fine, I'm sorry, if you're gonna get all worked up like that, then I won't act all anti-whatever."

"Good!" finished off Rebecca.

"Fine!" argued Eddy.

"Fine!"

"Good!"

"Good!"

"Fine!"

"Oh my God," said Elle slowly, "it's Sonny and Chad all over again!"

"Anyway," said Rebecca, "what were you going to say Ed?"

"I forgot!" said Ed brightly.

"God help us…" muttered Elle under her breath, as the ragtag group once again began to trek through the scarred landscape.

ooo

"You know," said Michael, "I'm just wondering; how could something like _that_ have lurked inside of Lindsay for however long it was in, yet we never noticed."

Edd knew that he was talking about the Ghastly Shade, and he himself couldn't help pondering on the same thing. He had known Lindsay since he had moved to Peach Creek at the age of three, yet she had never once shown any tell-tale signs of possession… But were there any signs of possession? Edd hardly thought someone harbouring a ghost inside of them would want to parade it to the world.

"Hey guys!" said Paricesis. "Look what I found!" He emerged from the smog, holding what looked to be some sort of jug in his scaly claws.

"Where did you find that?" asked Nazz suspiciously.

"Just over there!" replied the pseudo-dragon, pointing to somewhere in the smog. "It was in an abandoned campsite!"

"Really?" asked May, now sounding slightly interested.

"Yeah! Come on and I'll show you." He began to walk off into the smog, closely followed by the humans he was accompanying. "It was really hard to find in this smoke, you know…"

"You don't say," murmured Edd sarcastically. Soon enough, they reached the place Paricesis had described; three sleeping bags spread out around a long-extinguished fire. There was crockery all over the place, as well as a paper booklet lying tucked inside one of the sleeping bags. It was so well hidden that Kevin only came across it by chance as he and the others explored the deserted campsite.

"Hey guys!" he said. "Look what I found!"

"What is it?" asked Nazz.

"It looks like some sort of newspaper…" trailed off Kevin, sounding confused.

"Really?" questioned Edd, sounding surprised. "If so, then there must be circulating tabloids present on this world! Fascinating!"

"Oh yeah," said Paricesis, nonplussed, "everyone who's anyone reads _The Gaia Chronicler_. It's the most widespread newspaper on the planet."

"Fascinating!" repeated Edd. "I wonder what's in this issue… May I see it?" he asked politely to Kevin, who handed it to him. "Thank you!"

"What's the date on it, Double D?" asked May.

"Let me see… 19th March 1319."

"Ahh…" said Paricesis wisely. "I remember that day. Very well indeed."

"What's the headline?" asked Nazz. Edd's eyes scanned the page, rapidly widening as they did so. The others, unlike the hat-wearing boy, couldn't see the front cover; Paricesis, however, looked grim for once, as though he already knew what it was.

"Well?" asked Kevin haughtily. Grimacing as he did so, Edd turned the paper around so that the others could see the front page, which was entirely devoted to one piece of news. They headline instantly jumped out at them:

"_World Exclusive Feature!_

_Full Coverage of the Trial of...Notorious Serial Killer Serené Opalescent!Turn page for start of feature_."Beneath the headline was a picture of, presumably, the person the feature was all about: Serené Opalescent. She seemed like a normal person, though she did seem rather frail and skinny; her skin was unnaturally pale, and ribs were visible on through her flat torso. Her hair was a silvery blonde, and hung limp around her shoulders, like a shower of silver. Her eyes were an opal-blue, though they looked cloudy and misted; they were also very wide, like she was constantly surprised or scared. She wore a sleeveless white gown, but there was something sinister about it; probably because it was splattered with blood so much that it looked more red than white.

"Who was she?" asked Nazz.

"Serené Opalescent was the daughter of some government official in a kingdom to the east of here; Astrainia, I think. The thing is, she was part of some cult; I don't know exactly, but they worshipped these things called the Darkest Ones."

"What were they?" asked Nazz quietly.

"I don't know much, but I think they were some kind of demons. The thing is, because of their views, the cult Serené belonged to were persecuted."

"Ah yes," said Edd wisely, "one of the main flaws of humanity is their ability to persecuted others for even the smallest of details."

"You don't understand, Double D," replied Paricesis. "They were really nasty people; they abused and tortured others if they refused to join their cult. Eventually, the law took action and they were disbanded; many of the cultists claimed that they had been forced to join, but Serené was one of the few that did not deny their actions, and didn't come quietly."

"So you mean she fought?" asked Kevin, idly flicking through the newspaper.

"Yeah," said Paricesis, "she fought."

"How long did it take for her to get captured?" asked May.

"Six months," whispered Paricesis, "and in that time, she managed to murder sixty-two people before she was caught; my aunt included." Everyone fell silent; the fact that she murdered sixty-two people and had managed to evade capture for six months showed just how dangerous this Serené person was. Before any could pass on their condolences to Paricesis concerning his aunt's ruthless murder, a sudden shriek filled the air, and they all turned towards the sky.

"Lealelle!" gasped Nazz, and true enough, the fairy herself was there, a black-lipped smirk etched onto her face.

"Like, hey guys!" she called, sounding like herself.

"What do you want?" demanded Edd.

"Well, like, aren't you the guys that were going to, like, fight me?" She smiled again, though it wasn't like her normal, warm smile, this one was truly monstrous. "Cause here I come!" She began to zoom towards them, her wings fluttering rapidly, and began to fly around them in a perfect circle.

"**Barrera de Fuego**!"

As she flew around, red-hot fire began to spring up behind her, effectively trapping the Chosen Ones inside it. Lealelle zoomed, once again, into the sky, and she waved her hand.

"**Llamo tu, Fuegomeurte**!"

Without warning, a roaring, blazing beast burst out from the fire, scaring the Chosen Ones to half-death. It seemed to be in the shape of a lion weirdly crossed with a bird of prey. The beast was made from fire, and its shape was constantly shifting as it predatorily circled the Chosen Ones, who were now tightly packed together in a group.

"Is that a Griffin?" questioned Edd incredulously, swiping away the beast's lethally-sharpened talons with his sword as it tried to swipe at him.

"More a Flame Griffin, or in the Fairy language," said Paricesis mockingly, as he flew slightly into the air and kicked his scaly feet at the fiend's face, "el Fuegomeurte."

"Oh," cried Lealelle angrily, "you're, like, mocking my language now, like, are you?"

"Yeah," smirked Paricesis casually, "I am."

"How, like, dare you!" shrieked Lealelle in a shrill stupor. "Like, you Magmoro scum! Get him!" The Flame Griffin roared and lunged towards Paricesis, and he cried out as it scalded his foot with its flaming tongue.

"You bitch!" cried Nazz. She hurried over to Paricesis, who was trying to cool his nasty burn with his tongue.

"I, though not in those words, second that!" cried out Edd, as he and Kevin both swiped at the beast with their swords. It lunged back at them, but Kevin deftly evaded the attack, leaving Edd to parry instead. The Flame Griffin turned again and roared, but this time Kevin ought back, stabbing the beast in the belly. It snarled angrily, and tried biting him. Kevin managed to dodge, as the beast stumbled slightly; due to the oxygen leaking out of its stomach from the newly-formed whole, it was slowly fading away.

"Double Dork!" cried Kevin. "Aim for the neck!"

"Yes!" replied Edd, although he swiped at the fiend's feet. It leaned down to try and block the blow, but for all its aesthetics, it wasn't too smart; it completely missed Edd's plan. With its neck lowered and his sword raised, the steel made hissing contact with the flame, and in one fluid, clean motion, the beheaded Flame Griffin evaporated into nothing.

"Like, damnit!" cursed Lealelle. "This is, like, so not my - " She halted suddenly, her voice abruptly stopping in mid-sentence. Then her eyes became rigid, and four words slowly emerged from her mouth, floating on the ashen wind to the ears of the Chosen Ones. "What a weak vessel." Something black and horrible shot out of her mouth, and as the Chosen Ones screamed, Lealelle plummeted headfirst to the ground.

ooo

AN: Ooh! Cliff hanger-ish ending!

Lilienne: For heaven's sake, stop acting like a rabid fan-boy!

Me: *Glares at her* Like I said before the chapter, you're an evil witch.

Lilienne: And thy replied, details details.

Me: Keep this up, and you won't get a place in my newest story. For those who want to know, it's called "Smash Eds; Old and New".

Lilienne: *Yawns loudly* Because of his lack of talent, Lucas has resorted to forming crossover stories.

Me: And my name's not Lucas; but you can all call me that.

Lilienne: Anyway, onto this chapter's "Fun Cul-de-sac Facts" segment, and this chapter sees us looking at the life of Lee, "The First Sister". Did thou know that:

1. Lee's favourite colour is cinnamon-orange?

2. Like her mother, Lee has a fascination with nautical memorabilia?

3. Lee is absolutely superb at basketball, and is a fiend on the hockey pitch?

4. Lee hates people who have larger hair than she does, whether they are real or not (e.g. Marge Simpson).

5. Because of her reasonable belief that she is unattractive, Lee suffers from Gelotophobia, a fear of humiliation?

6. Lee hates school?

7. Lee, oddly enough, loves shellfish, particularly oysters?

8. Lee loves forcing her sisters to do her bidding, and also likes drawing (surprisingly)?

9. That through an incredibly genetic mutation, Lee and her sisters (who all have different fathers) grew in the womb at the same time, resulting in them being born at the same time as well?

10. Lee wants money and fame.

Me: Hope you enjoyed the chapter, and look out for the next one soon!

-LucasBravvus97


	19. Chapter 19: The Court of King Roth

AN: So, here's the next chapter. And if you're wondering where Lilienne is, she's being punished.

Lilienne: No! Not the Chocobo feathers!

Me: Pay no attention to her screams!

ooo

Chapter Nineteen: The Court of King Roth

ooo

"Do you think she'll wake up soon?"

May's usually gruff, unfeminine voice sounded unusually caring as she and the others crowded around the still, unmoving form of Lealelle, freshly rid of the Ghastly Shade once and for all. Save for the slight automatic rise and fall of her chest, one might have thought her to be dead; indeed, she had fallen from such a great height that when she landed, she would have cracked her skull. If not for Paricesis flying up to save her, the helpful (if annoying) fairy would be dead.

"I suppose so," answered Edd, though he sounded uncertain. "She's probably suffering from shock due to be possessed by that dreadful Ghastly Shade."

"Well," announced Kevin, getting up from his crouching position on the rocky terrain, "being out here in a wasteland's not going to help Lealelle get better, so let's get her back to the Chocovan."

There was complete silence before it was broken by Nazz. "Does anyone know which way it is?"

"Don't tell me we're lost," groaned Michael, his face drooping in dismay.

"We're not lost," said Kevin sarcastically, "we just don't know where we are. Better?"

"Not really," replied Michael.

"There's no use moping out here!" said Paricesis brightly. "If we start now, then our scent will still be fresh, and I'm sure I could trace it!"

"Very well then," replied Edd. "Seeing as how that is our only solution, Paricesis you lead the way."

"Right," replied the Magmoro, gently picking up the slumbering Lealelle and putting her over his shoulder. He began to walk away, sniffing the air and tasting it with his tongue as he lead the way to the Chocovan, with the others in hot pursuit.

ooo

"…and that is why _The Sound of Music _is one of the best musical films ever made," finished Jimmy triumphantly, adamant that his point had been proven to Ed.

"Nope!" smiled Ed. "The best musical is _"Junior Zombie Choir from Charon (The Extended Cut)"._

"Get real," said Jimmy in a deadpan voice. The group continued walking, Jimmy still trying to explain to Ed how much of a legend Julie Andrews was, before Elle flopped onto the ground, looking bitter and sad.

"J'ai faim!" she complained sourly, secretly squealing in delight at the utterly bamboozled expression on Eddy's face.

"Huh?" asked the said boy, while Rebecca just rolled her eyes and smiled slightly behind him.

"J'ai trés faim! Je pouvos mange un cheval! Aussi, je suis trés fatigué!" Elle complained in rapid French. (AN: "I'm very hungry! I could eat a horse! Also, I am very tired!")

"Elle," chided Rebbeca, sounding humorous, "I know it's funny to watch how confused Eddy gets when you speak French, but now really isn't the time."

"Right!" spoke Eddy in an authoritive voice, though he didn't sound certain.

"So, _have _you got any food?" piqued Elle. Rebecca took the rucksack off her shoulders and rummaged about in it. "Well? Because if you don't, I nominate Eddy to be roasted!"

"What?" cried Eddy in horror. "Why me? Why not Jimmy - " he said, holding the small boy (who looked terrified) " - or Monobrow?"

"Because you have the most body fat!" said Elle, as though it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"I lost it all this summer from all the running I had to do!" cried back Eddy, though he purposely left out the reason that it was because of his failed scams.

"Yes," said Elle gravely, before she smiled and clapped her hands together, "so you need to be re-fattened! Ed, hold him down while I get the lard!"

"I don't think there's any need to resort to cannibalism," said Rebecca, "seeing as how there is some food here. Now, we have some apples, a pack of rice - though there's no pot to cook it in - some figs - although they smell a bit…funky - more apples and four sausages."

"Ooh!" squealed Elle, jumping up and down excitedly, "we can have roasted pommes in figue sauce!"

"Ew, that sounds disgusting!" gagged Jimmy, although Rebecca had already began her spell.

"**Fire**!"

Soon enough, they had a small fire going, and as Elle mashed up the figs with a mortar and pestle, the speared apples roasted on the flame.

"Ahh…" sighed Eddy contentedly, lounging back on a blanket on the ground, his head resting on his rucksack. "I could get used to this!"

"Well, I couldn't!" snapped Elle, as she viciously pounded away at the mashed up figs with a pestle. "I need to watch my reruns of "_Everybody Loves Raymond_" before I go insane and viciously slaughter all of you!"

Silence reigned in the makeshift camp; crickets could be heard chirping in the distance, which was odd as they were in a volcanic wasteland after all. "You do realise how demented you just sounded there?" asked Rebecca in a deadpan voice.

"Oh please," said Elle darkly as she continued to mash up figs, "you've not seen anything yet." To prove her point, she giggled darkly, causing the others to nervously move a few metres away from her.

"Anyways, why are we stopping here?" asked Eddy, as he continued to lounge out.

"Well, by my estimations," began Rebecca, "we're a good distance away from the Chocovan, so we should replenish our energy levels before making the return journey home."

"What about Lealelle?" asked Jimmy, nervous about the current state of the fairy.

"Let's just assume the others have found her," suggested Eddy, "and if they haven't, well, we gave it our best shot!"

"The apples are ready!" announced Rebecca, taking the speared fruits from their places by the fire and handing one to each of her comrades. Lathering on some of Elle's fig sauce, she began to heartily eat her piece, until she noticed that the others were looking at something behind her, their - untouched - steaming apples left to dangle.

"What? What is it?" she asked, growing slightly frantic. "There's something on my face, isn't there? Oh dear God, the spots are back - "

"Rebecca, it's not that, sillykins!" laughed Ed goofily. "The fairy lights are on!"

"Yes, I think that is Ryx!" announced Jimmy, looking through the fog at the floating blue orb.

"Oh!" he screamed as he burst in on the group. "Thank - the - stars - and - praise - be - to - all - Gods…" he panted heavily, his throat rattling and his tiny form heaving up and down with every word.

"Jeez, calm down, will ya?" cried out Eddy, trying in vain to calm the poor little sprite.

"I can't!" screamed Ryx angrily, whacking into Eddy again and again. "You try to be calm when you leave the Chocovan to do…er…_certain business,_ and then you come back after a few minutes, only to watch in stunned horror as the rest of your travelling companions are led away by none other than Magmorian soldiers, who serve Paricesis!"

"Whoa!" said Eddy whilst trying to swat Ryx. "Are ya sayin' that Paricesis ain't on our side?"

"Of course not! Ignorant boy!" replied Ryx angrily. "But I believe that while he has been gone from his realm, something big has happened."

"Well, where did the soldiers take them?" asked Rebecca, already packing away the supplies.

"Pyrovillus," replied Ryx, "the city of magic and magma. That's the nearest Magmoro settlement, so the others will have been taken there."

"What about us?" asked Jimmy timidly. "How do we get to Pyrovillus?"

"Well, the soldiers who took the others weren't experienced. They took everyone, but they left the Chocovan behind. If we use that, then we can catch up to the others!"

"Awesome!" stated Eddy. "So we have a plan? Then let's do it!"

"But what about the others?" asked Jimmy meekly. "We can't just leave them - plus a critical Lealelle - out here all on their own, can we?"

"True, we can't, so hopefully we'll rendezvous at the Chocovan," said Ryx. "Now, hurry up, or our captured comrades could be in deep trouble!"

"But what about the Chimera?" asked Elle, when a sudden roar was heard echoing in the distance. Within seconds, the group had fled.

ooo

Deep within the base of the mountain itself was a large, cavernous chamber, carved out of the very rock itself. It was square in shape, and the ruby-encrusted columns reached from the floor to the ceiling. The floor was stone, like the walls, and rose up to a throne at the far end of the room. Seated in it was an aging, although still impressive, Magmoro, with the same body structure as Paricesis. He wore a suit of luminous golden armour, along with a flourishing red cape. He sat upon his throne, proud and regal; yet he looked very nervous as well. His eyes darted from corner to corner, and he was constantly trembling and fidgeting. He seemed a broken man, on the verge of mental destruction, the edge of insanity.

"Hennus!" screamed Roth, King of the Magmoro. "Hennus, I command you to come before your king!"

"Of course, mighty one," spoke a calming, alluring voice. Suddenly, a man appeared right of the shadows, standing to the left of his lord. The Black Mage Hennus was a respected - although feared - member of King Roth's court. His eyes, feline and calculating, glowed a phosphorous green, whilst his curved hair, black as the smog that surrounded their home, fell gracefully to the base of his neck. He wore an ornate robe, died purple, which covered most of his body, along with a black cloak on the back. He wore tanned leather boots on his feet, as well as spiked armour plates on his shoulders.

"There you are, Hennus!" spoke the King abruptly, glancing nervously at the Mountain Elf. "What are you doing here?"

Hennus' eyes glowed a magical green for one split second. "You called me, my Lord. Remember?"

"Oh. Yes I did, didn't I?" murmured the King to himself, sounding puzzled and fatigued. "Anyways, I called to ask you something. Is… Is there any news of… Of my s-son?"

Hennus smiled sadly, although it wasn't very convincing. However, the King's mind was so frayed that he hardly noticed anything out of place. "Lord, you must accept the bitter truth. We found the body of Paricesis… There is nought we can do to raise the dead. However…"

"What?" cried Roth suddenly. "Is there a way to grasp back my son from the Gods? Is there? Tell me!"

Hennus moved out of the reach of Roth. "Perhaps… If we were to use my elfin magic, amplified by the powers of the Sacred Flame, then we may be able to raise back Paricesis from the dead… As well as your wife, my Lord…"

"L-Lanna…" sobbed Roth, reminded of his late wife. As the once-mighty King of the Magmoros sobbed despondently, Hennus smiled cruelly. "Guards!"

"Yes sir!" replied a squad of castle guards, emerging into the Throne Hall from the other end of the room. Instantly, their faces fell at seeing a weeping Roth, with a malevolent Hennus towering over him.

"The King here has kindly given me permission to use the powers of the Sacred Flame," explained Hennus, sounding smug and very pleased with himself. "Go to the Volcano Shrine and take the Sacred Flame - by force, if necessary."

"You mean you want us to imprison the Shrine Seers?" asked one of the guards incredulously, staring at Hennus with hatred in her fiery eyes.

"That's - that's sacrilegious!" spluttered another guard, the grip on his sword tightening severely.

"Well," spoke Hennus calmly, "it looks as though you aren't the sort for this important mission. Pity. I shall have to incarcerate you, I'm afraid, but fear not; I have suitable replacements for you all." Hennus filliped, and without warning the guards vanished in clouds of black smoke, with no time to cry out.

"That's better," smirked Hennus villainously, before turning his attention back to King Roth. "My Lord, you seem tired. Why don't you rest for a while, and let me look after the kingdom in your steed?"

"Yes… Yes…" pondered Roth, slowly getting to his feet. "I should let you - No, wait, what am I - Oof!"

Roth's eyes watered as Hennus retraced his fist from the king's stomach. "My Lord, you seem to be in pain. Rest a while…" Roth looked up at his treacherous attendant's eyes, which were glowing in a hypnotic manner.

"Yes, I will rest…" murmured Roth, before leaving the chamber via a door next to the throne.

"Now," spoke Hennus sinisterly, "as Regent, what should my first order be… Ah yes, guards!"

Instantly, many demons, each one monstrous, twisted mockeries of real Magmoros, materialised into the hallowed room, all bowing before their lord and master.

"Sir!" rasped one of the Fire Foes. "We've successfully detained the Shrine Seers, and we've also obtained the Sacred Flame!"

"Excellent…" purred Hennus. "With this, my master plan shall commence. I shall truly be rewarded by the Black Angel…"

"Sir!" growled another of the guards. "We have also found and detained a number of suspicious looking humans who were outside of the mountain."

"Really?" asked Hennus, sounding genuinely intrigued. "Escort them in."

A group of eight humans, all bound and disarmed, were brought rather roughly into the chamber.

"How dare you treat us like this!" exclaimed Zoe at once, glaring at the elf. "By order of the crown of Areth, I demand you release us at once!"

"Yeah!" spoke Lee threateningly. "What she said!"

"Foolish humans," sniggered Hennus, glancing down at them disdainfully. "Your tiny minds cannot comprehend the true scope of what is going on."

"What do you mean?" asked Rolf. "Is the pointed-ear-sissy-boy insulting the son of a shepherd and his friends?"

"I am not a sissy boy!" screamed Hennus shrilly, stamping his foot in a tantrum-like manner. Then he composed himself, and spoke again, "This is what you may call a coup. I was recently established as Regent by the former King, who volunteered to step down due to…ah…mental health issues."

"You're a liar!" cried Sarah angrily.

"Yeah!" agreed Jonny. "Plank says that you can't do that, 'cause it will cause a huge upheaval in global politics, as well as international outcry!"

"For once, that actually made sense!" said Jennifer, sounding surprised. "Well done Jonny!"

"Enough!" roared Hennus, staring darkly at the Chosen Ones before him. "Take them to the cells."

ooo

"Ed! You're here! And so are the others!"

"Double D!" cried Eddy, surprised to see his friend emerge out of the seemingly-abandoned Chocovan. "So you guys made it back, huh?"

"Indeed," confirmed Edd, "and we were able to safely exorcise the Ghastly Shade from inside Lealelle. However, it appears that the others in our group are currently not here!"

"That's right," nodded Ryx, as the rest of Edd's group came out of the Chocovan, "they were taken away from here by a group of Magmoro soldiers."

"What!" exclaimed a shell-shocked Paricesis, along with several others. "You mean that soldiers who serve my father have just kidnapped my friends?"

"Yes, but think, Paricesis," urged Ryx, "before you left to find help, was there anything odd in your kingdom? Anything out of place?"

"I can't remember," said Paricesis miserably.

"Well, there's no use moping," said Kevin, already climbing back into the Chocovan. "Paricesis, if I drive, can you navigate your way back to the kingdom?"

"Sure!"

ooo

"Let. Us. Out!" screamed Sarah angrily, trying to gnaw her way through the metal bars of the cell.

"Sarah, stop it," said Zoe wearily. "You'll wreck your teeth, and you're really not helping at all."

All eight of them - Rolf, Jonny, Zoe, Sarah, Lee, Marie, Jennifer and Lindsay - were currently imprisoned in a dingy, damp, stony cell in the basement level of Castle Pyrovillus. The stone walls were constricting and claustrophobic, and the only source of air came from a tiny vent in the north-eastern corner, right up at the very top of the wall. They were at the very end of a stone corridor, and the cell opposite of theirs was empty and devoid of life.

"Rolf demands that the dragon-folk release the son of a shepherd and his companions from their prison!" shouted the farmer boy, shaking the bars furiously whilst shouting curses in the tongue of the Old Country.

"Rolf, the same goes for you!" ordered Zoe, glaring at the back of him. Falling silent, Rolf and Sarah both stalked over to the corner of the cell, sitting cross-legged on the cold floor, conversing about ways to break out of the cell. Lindsay, after her ordeal earlier, was unusually silent, and Zoe tried to talk to her.

"Lindsay?" she asked tentatively, reaching out to gently place a hand on her left shoulder. "Are you feeling well?"

"No," replied Lindsay bleakly, staring off into blank space. This highly distressed Zoe as well as the others; Lindsay was one of the strongest, both mentally and physically, residents of the cul-de-sac , and to see her weak like this was unnerving. Before she could speak again, Lindsay brushed Zoe's hand away and went back to staring at the wall. Zoe sighed sadly before going over to talk to Jennifer,

"Oh, hi!" said Jennifer brightly; she was looking through a book of sorts that Zoe recognised instantly as a Spell Guide.

"Hello," she greeted back, before gesturing to the Spell Guide, "I see Taileia gave you one as well."

"Yep! It's a list of all the Summons that I can currently perform."

"Really? That's quite interesting. How many Summons are there?"

"Erm, let me think…" Jennifer mumbled something sounding like "36 Aeons, 12 Eonns, and 1 Esper" before looking up at Zoe. "I can perform up to 49 Summons!"

"Really!" said Zoe, generally surprised and interested. "And how many can you currently Summon?"

"Oh…" Jennifer looked bashful and mumbled something incoherent.

"Pardon?" asked Zoe.

"Four," stated Jennifer more loudly. "Violade, a Nature Aeon, Ramuh, an Electricity Aeon, Demetia, a Psychic Aeon, and Shiva, an Ice Aeon. There are others available, but the thing is, I have to either find magical tablets that contain the Summons, or level up and learn them manually. But some Aeons can only be found through an Aeon Tablet."

"Interesting…" spoke Zoe, before a crack reached both of their ears.

"**Crack**!"

All in the cramped prison cell looked the entrance, where several of the bars had been broken, courtesy of Sarah and her Ice powers. She stood there proudly, before turning to look back at the others.

"Are you dumbos just going to sit there like damsels in distress?" asked the fiery headed Ninja disdainfully. "C'mon!" She leapt through the hole she just created, while the others scrambled to follow after her. They came to a little table at the far end of the hallway, where, as if by a stroke of luck, their weapons had been carelessly left their. As each of them reacquired their previously confiscated tools of battle, Jennifer heard a sudden voice speak, with the typical hoarseness of a Magmoro; only this voice was a tad softer and more delicate, as though it were a female.

"Please wait! Are not you a Summoner?"

Jennifer turned, and saw a group of four elderly Magmoros, each clothed in ornamental scarlet robes, sitting locked in a cell. Their were two men and two women, and it was one with vivid green eyes and scaly blue flesh who had spoken to Jennifer.

"Oh! Hi!" spoke Jennifer optimistically. "Do you want me to get you out of this cell?"

"Not now, young one," spoke another of the Seers, this one a male with terra-red eyes and violet-purple skin. "The time is not right. But we have, to ask of you and you alone, a favour, if you will."

"What is that?" asked Jennifer, before Zoe came up to her.

"Jennifer, we really must -"

"You all go on without me. I'll catch up."

"If you're sure…" Zoe and the others fled down one of the darker corridors, leaving Jennifer and the Magmoro Seers alone.

"So, what is it you want to ask me?"

The male Seer spoke again. "We are the Guardian Seers of the Volcano Shrine; we are the wards of a powerful object known as the Sacred Flame."

"What's that?"

"It is a manifestation of the might of Fire," spoke another of the Seers, this a male with solar-gold skin and intelligent grey irises. "Along with the Holy Bubble of Water, the Cherished Cloud of Air and the Divine Stone of Earth, it is part of a group of four items that represent the four cardinal Elements on Areth; Fire, Water, Air and Earth."

"I see…" spoke Jennifer, sounding concerned. "So why do I need to get it?"

"The fiend who imprisoned all of us here," spoke the last Seer, a coral-pink skinned and diamond-blue eyed Magmoro, "is a devious Mountain Elf known as Hennus. He showed up a few months ago as an advisor to the King, but when Prince Paricesis left to find help to clear the wretched smog outside of this mountain, Hennus saw an opportunity; he has broken the King's resolve, and has now usurped power as a Regent."

"However, whilst we need to restore King Roth as the true Lord of Pyrovillus," spoke the first Seer, "our main priority is regaining the Sacred Flame from Hennus. If he misuses it as a tool of destruction, the consequences will be most dire."

"No worries!" replied Jennifer confidently, getting into a battle pose as though she wanted to show them just how strong she was. "My friends and I will get that Flame back!"

"We all thank you from the bottoms of our hearts, Summoner…?" trailed off the second Seer.

"Jennifer. Jennifer Goldton."

"Well, Jennifer Goldton," began the third Seer pleasantly, with a mischievous twinkle in his eyes, "we also have something to promise you."

"Really?"

"Yes. If you are able to obtain the Sacred Flame, we shall grant unto you the powers of the Fire Tablet, which shall allow you to Summon the Aeon of Fire, Ifrit, in battle. Is that a fair deal?"

For a few seconds she looked stunned, her teal eyes wide with expected surprise. But then her features grew into a beautiful, bright grin, like a ray of beaming sunshine. "Yes, yes! Thank you so much!"

"Do not thank us yet, young Summoner," warned the first Seer. "Now go and find you companions, but a word of caution. Escape from the castle and seek out shelter in the city. We know enough of your deeds to know that there are others in your group, so you should meet up with them before progressing to the Temple of Fire."

"Right!" nodded Jennifer, before running off after her friends. "Thanks for your help!"

ooo

"Are we stopping?" asked Edd to the open air, raising up from his seating position on one of the chairs.

"Yeah, we are," replied Eddy, looking, scrutinizing his surroundings, out of the window.

"Why?" asked Michael, coming up from behind Eddy to look out of the window.

"Guys," announced Kevin darkly, emerging from the driver's compartment closely followed by Paricesis, "we've arrived."

"Already?" asked Nazz.

"Yeah. Mt. Furyance is just outside, but we need to find another way in; we can't go through the main entrance."

"How come?" asked May, looking out of one of the other windows at the huge volcano before them, spewing its ash into the atmosphere whilst lava trailed down most of its sides.

"The guards at the entrance to the volcano," said Paricesis, speaking for the first time, "are not Magmoros. They're something else entirely, something…dark."

"How do you know?" inquired Rebecca.

"I don't know… I just feel it, you know? Just by looking at them I get these chills up my spine and I feel threatened."

"Like how we feel with Faith…" whispered Elle, too low for anyone else to hear.

"Anyways, if we can't use the main entrance," said Michael, "then how're we gonna get in?"

"A secret tunnel that goes right into the heart of Pyrovillus, and we're right next to the entrance," explained Paricesis, "so it's going to be a cinch!"

"That's it?" asked Eddy suspiciously. "Just a tunnel?"

"Yeah why?" asked Paricesis.

"No monsters?" continued Jimmy fearfully.

"Just a nice tunnel," confirmed Paricesis. "Don't worry, it'll be a breeze!"

ooo

"Well, that was easy!" said Zoe brightly as the group she was with emerged from the cellar of Castle Pyrovillus. "Though it was a bit odd how no guards chased us…"

"The castle was empty," said Marie. "Suggests somethin' is up."

"But what?" asked Lindsay, speaking for the first time. Before anyone could give a reason or answer, a sudden rumbling growled deeply to their left, before the wall opened like a mouth having a huge, cavernous yawn. Out of it emerged all of the others, the whole group finally being reunited.

"Eddward!" cried Zoe happily, running over to embrace her twin.

"Zoe!" replied Edd with the same tone of joy in his voice at the dizygotic siblings hugged in joy. "Thank God that you and the others are safe!"

"The same to you! How on earth did you managed to escape your predicament!"

"Sarah and her powers over Ice were a big help," commented Jennifer, "and I managed to find out a bit more about the powers of Summoning!"

"Great!" said Kevin. "So, now what's the plan?"

"I don't know…" said Paricesis, arching his scaly neck to see something over the shoulders of the others, "but it looks like something's going on in the city square. Let's go and find out!"

Hurrying over to the centre of Pyrovillus, the group were met with a conglomeration of various Magmoros, all of them different colours. The city of Pyrovillus was an architectural masterpiece; it was built on many levels, all of them ascending upwards into the shaft of the volcano. The houses and buildings had been carved out of the rock in the volcano, and the houses at the very edges of the city were physically inside the walls of the volcano. At the heart of the city (the square) was a large, circular hole in the ground; if one looked down it, they would see a sizzling, boiling pool of molten rock and lava at the very core of the mountain. When the volcano erupted, the lave flowed through the hole and out of the city, up into the higher levels of the volcano that were populated with only monsters.

The Magmoros in the square were angry and furious about something; there was a podium erected at the heart of the crowd, and Hennus, surrounded by his bodyguards, stood on it. The citizens of the city were snarling and screaming at him, and the more daring ones tried to throw small projectiles at him.

"Whoa!" cried Eddy, looking around at the angry gathering of _Homo Draco _around him. "Somethin' big is stirrin' here!"

"Common folk!" screamed Hennus loudly, his voice echoing off of the walls of the floor. The Magmoro gathered grew into a murderous silence, and Hennus began to smugly speak.

"As newly inducted Regent of the Magmoro Federation-"

"No!"

"Never!"

"How dare he!"

"-I have decided that my first act will be to raise an army of pure destruction in order to guard my regency. Therefore, every Magmoro child present shall be surrendered to me. Failure to comply with my orders shall result in severe capital punishment."

It was though a blanket of silence had suddenly descended on the square, as the citizens of the city stared, horrified, at a smug Hennus. Suddenly guards were weaving expertly throughout the crowd, snatching screaming children from the ground and stuffing them into coarse-woven sacks. The parents were putting up a storm, biting and clawing at the soldiers until a full-blown riot had erupted in the city square.

"Jesus!" whistled Eddy. "That's some heck of a rabble!"

"Honestly Eddy!" cried Lindsay. "If you were a parent, wouldn't you do the same for your kid?"

"Er, sure…" mumbled Eddy. "I guess…"

"So what's the plan?" asked Rebecca. Nobody answered.

"We do have a plan, right?" asked Michael.

"Unfortunately, no," admitted Edd.

"Well, you guys have to get to the Temple of Fire, right?" asked Paricesis.

"Yeah," answered Nazz, "we need to get there and get the Crystal of Fire before Faith does."

"Well, I know how to get to the Temple," said Paricesis, confidently, "so if some of you stay here, I'll take the rest and we'll get the Crystal!"

"Great idea!" enthused Jimmy. "So who is going?"

"To make it fair," reasoned Edd, "we should take a group of six like last time; three boys and three girls. So Paricesis is one boy…and since Fire is my Element, I will probably be needed…so that's two…" He looked up. "Who else would like to go?"

"Me, me!" pleaded Michael excitedly. "I wanna go!"

"So Michael is our final boy," said Edd, "and we now need three ladies who would like to accompany us."

"Me!" exclaimed three voices all at once. Jennifer, Sarah and Lindsay were all jostling against each other, trying to get into Edd's line of sight.

"Of course, if you'd like to come along then who am I to disagree?" said Edd, confirming that the group who were going to the Temple of Fire consisted of himself, Paricesis, Michael, Sarah, Jennifer and Lindsay.

"So while you're gettin' the Crystal thingy," said Kevin, "what should we do?"

"Try to stop this riot from getting any worse," said Paricesis.

"Right!" said Zoe, an unusual determination in her eyes, "As the Chosen Ones, we have a responsibility to denounce and defeat any evil forces that we should meet!"

"Wow, zealous much?" said Rebecca sarcastically.

"Anyway, shouldn't you guys get to it?" said the Kankers simultaneously.

"Yes, we should," spoke up Ryx. Lealelle had since woken up, but she was drained of most of her energy; her dainty wings fluttered feebly in her Mini from, and the golden shine of her being was pale instead of beaming. She hovered beside Ryx as he spoke up again, "Lea and I shall guide the Chosen Ones through the Temple of Fire."

"Okay, we're all counting on you!" said Michael, before he ran off, followed by the others. Jennifer, however, stayed behind to say something to her sister.

"Elle, I need you to do something for me."

"What?" replied the young White Mage, while the others in the group dispersed.

"That Hennus dude has something called the Sacred Flame. You really need to get it from him."

"Ok, I guess… Be safe!"

But Jennifer had all ready ran off after the rest of her group, leaving her younger sister behind. Shaking her head and sighing, Elle turned around to join her comrades in the fight against Hennus.

ooo

AN: Finally, it's done!

Lilienne: Took thou long enough.

Me: Oh hush up. You're only here because I can use you to intimidate people.

Lilienne: Yes, but still; normal people cannot be scared of a mechanical program.

Me: …Please stop with your patronising logic.

Lilienne: Very well. Onto this chapter's "Fun Cul-de-sac Facts," and this chapter belongs to Marie, "The Second Sister". Did thou know that:

1. Marie's favourite colour is Goth-purple?

2. Marie actually intensely dislikes boats, and she gets sea-sick on them?

3. Marie is an ace at wrestling and boxing, and even Kevin fears her for this?

4. Marie hates people who are smarter and craftier than her, signifying her intense rivalry with Rebecca, and she also dislikes popular, beautiful people (like Nazz).

5. Marie actually dislikes blood, because she once saw a deer get knocked over, leading to her obtaining Haemophobia?

6. Marie hates school, but she likes how she can see Edd there?

7. Marie likes calamari (squid) covered in batter?

8. Marie hates being bossed by Lee, but loves bossing May, and she also likes to play the guitar and drums?

9. That as a result of genetic mutation, Marie and her sisters shared the womb of their mother at the same time while they were fathered by different men?

10. Marie just wants somebody to love her (in a romantic way)?

- LucasBravvus97


End file.
